


Tormented Doll

by FlOrangey



Series: FlOrangey's 'Noctis gets hurt badly' fics [2]
Category: Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anxiety, Beach Trip, Being taken care of, Brain Damage, Brainwashing, Broken Bones, Dehumanization, Emphasis on hurt, Exhaustion, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Mental Instability, Myoclonic Seizures, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Poisoning, Seizures, Tonic-Clonic Seizures, Torture, pre-release fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:04:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 97,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4411334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Altissia is slow in it's politics. Slow to move, slow to take action, slow to do anything to aid Noctis and his friends in taking back Lucis' crystal. So slow they don't notice an infiltration right under there noses until it's to late. Idola wants the power of the crystal and Noctis is the key to unlocking it. He will do anything to get the boy in his grasp and when a kidnapping attempt goes horribly right Noctis finds himself a prisoner and lab rat in the mad kings ploys for power.</p><p>Confined and tortured, Noctis days become a struggle to survive as Ignis, Gladiolus, Prompto, and Luna try to rescue him. The question is can they save him? Or will there next big fight be against a loved one as Accordo's capital city falls?</p><p>(Title changed: 8/4/2015)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Political scratches

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: 8/4/2015 - Changed the title because it felt more fitting.  
> Edit: 8/10/2015 - Added an archive warning for Graphic Depictions of Violence for Chapter Four onward. Chapters 1 - 3 have not been altered.
> 
> Oh boy... This will be a multichapter fic, the ideas I had for it expanded to far to be a one shot and it's by far one of the more complicated pieces I have written and I am so nervous about posting, but if I don't I'm probably going to never put it up and that's not good ;_;!
> 
> Anyway, this fic contains characters that are supposed to appear in Final Fantasy XV but have not been given confirmed names, I've used others as substitutes and these names will be changed when we finally know who they are. Which hopefully happens at Gamescom. No this fic will not be cancelled regardless of what we get at gamescom, I'm already done four chapters of this mess and want to finish it ;_;!
> 
> I want to give a serious thank you to everyone who has been reading my stuff. It means a lot to me that you all like my work. Also a thanks to Mayoki for encouraging me to write this. I hope you enjoy it ^_^

In hindsight not waiting until his agents were in place had been a bad idea. Sure the attack on Insomnia had been a rousing success, they had taken the Lucis crystal and claimed it as their own, and brought most of the country to it’s knees in a single sweep. It had been a very good day as far as Idola was concerned, a great victory for Niflheim.

At least it had been at first, but as the hours turned to days, the days to weeks, where he once looked at the crystal with feelings of pride and thoughts of opportunity, now he gazed upon it with contempt. Contempt and frustration for the piece of peacefully glowing rock that now rested within the lower parts of the castle. His scientists conducted studies on it each day with minimal success.

“I want to see the latest reports.” He told his head scientist, a young man with black hair and piercing green eyes.

“Yes my lord.” The man said. He was Idola’s best man for the job, a youth not afraid to try things his seniors were hesitant to do. He brought Idola a clipboard that contained many pages of readings and charts. “This is the latest reports as of two days ago. As you can see the crystal has been releasing a steady stream of energy over the last week. It remains mostly consistent, but you’ll see occasional drops in power. I suspect that these are-”

“- the prince drawing magic from it.” Idola finished. He did not really need to know that, it was as obvious as night and day.

“Yes my lord.”

“And you have not been able to figure out how he can harness the crystals power.”

“No my lord.” The scientist said. Not what Idola wanted to hear and he shoved the clipboard of notes into the researchers chest.

“Keep working, update me on any breakthroughs. We need to find a way to control this damn rock.” Idola told him. The scientist nodded but did not speak up at first seeming to hesitate as though he wanted to say something but was afraid if he did he would end up on the execution list. “What?” The king asked his annoyance clear.

“Permission to speak freely sir?”

“...Granted.” Idola grumbled. He hated giving the okay for someone to speak freely, but so far the man had proven himself to be an asset so he would make an exception. The scientist cleared his throat.

“I don’t think we’re going to make any more progress than we already have. Without Lucis’ scientists or notes from their research we’re doing decades of study from the beginning.”

“We have old research from when our crystal was still alive-”

“Yes, but my lord,” The scientists interrupted and looked away at his king’s glare. He was already in trouble but he was going to try very hard to ignore that fact until he finished what he had to say. “Each crystal operates differently. We’ve looked at the old materials and comparing Lucis’ crystal to Niflheim’s is like comparing a garula to a great haize. They’re completely incompatible with each other. We need Lucis’ research if we want even the slightest hope of using the crystal within the next year.”

Idola said nothing. Most of the people who researched Lucis’ crystal were killed in the initial attack and the citadel was bombed to pieces. However that could not have been the only location where they kept research materials. The palace had to have had some information. “I’ll have my men forward anything they can find.”

“Thank you my lord.” The scientist said, “Uh, while I have your attention may I also suggest one thing. I know your goal was for our soldiers to kill the prince on sight - understandable we don’t want an heir to the enemy throne alive - but I think we might have a use for him. As an alternative to figuring out how the crystal operates.”

Idola noticed the scientists demeanor had changed from nervous to calm. He flipped through some paperwork and showed him his notes. Idola looked them over and smiled. He liked what he saw.

* * *

If Noctis had not already known that Accordo - and pretty much every country besides Lucis - conducted it’s court business in the morning, he’d be convinced that the Altissian circle was requesting a seven in the morning meeting just to spite him. Mornings were difficult for him, granted waking up in general was difficult for him, but mornings were the worst. Especially if it meant being up at six for a meeting at seven. At least Solheim had the decency to wait until nine, Tenebrae was even better about waiting until ten, but seven? Whoever thought that was a great idea should be locked up for the rest of their lives. Not even the stuffy suit he was required to wear compared to the madness of a seven in the morning meeting. At least the suit was black.

Fortunately for him, he was only required to stand before Accordo’s representatives as a figurehead. A sign that the Caelum family line was still alive, and that in turn the royal family of Lucis still had some power. Ignis had agreed to do most of the talking when he had to, but until then his main priority was making sure Noctis did not fall asleep while standing. The prince had woken up looking pretty awful from a night of bad dreams, and the dark circles under his eyes would have been more prominent if they weren't covered up that morning. They needed to make sure the prince looked alive, even if he was just meant to stand in presence, presentation meant a lot in Accordo.

At the current moment the one that had the floor was Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, a member of Tenebrae’s political circle, an ambassador in international affairs, and Noctis’ fiancé. Usually romance and politics did not intertwine, but as Noctis looked up at the court of twenty his eyes fell on one particular individual and he had a feeling that today discussions would be a little more complicated.

Luna had already made her request known the moment she had found refuge in Accordo’s capital city. So with everyone present the meeting began with a reminder. “I understand you wish for us to aid you in invading Niflheim correct?” One of them spoke, an older man. Thankfully not the individual Noctis was looking at.

“Correct.” Luna said as she stood at the podium. “Our goal is to retrieve the Lucis crystal and return it to the crown city.”

“Understandable. The question is, why should we aid you and the crown prince in this mission? What makes you believe that it is more beneficial for us to offer our assistance to you and Lucis’ prince than to turn around and pledge our allegiance to Niflheim?”

That statement said so many things that Noctis did not want to think about. Neither did Ignis or Luna. If the blonde woman was bothered by what Accordo was implying she did her best to hide her concerns.

“Lucis has provided our countries with many resources and assisted with conflicts over the years. Niflheim in contrast has made many threats against my country and yours. Before this conflict went from a cold war to open warfare I had been in many territorial disputes with Lord Idola, most of which ended in threats of violence.” Luna started, “Likewise I recall that Niflheim has made many threats to Accordo as well including attempts to control the Leviathan.”

“You are correct. About forty years ago we did have a brief skirmish with Niflheim because of attempts to control Leviathan. They said that Archaean’s did not belong to any nation and while that is true Leviathan guards our city willingly and we like to keep ourselves friendly with it.” The man said, “In fact if I recall our last king contacted Lucis to aid us in calming the beast after the incident.”

“Yes. This incident led to the signing of the arch-peace treaty. To prevent astral relics from being used in open conflict, including the Archaeans.”

“You know your history quite well Ms. Fleuret.”

“Thank you my lord.” Luna said a grin on her face. Noctis kept his head low so that no one would see him smiling. Except Ignis who shot him a look of disapproval. “The mentioning the arch-peace treaty brings me to another point that I wished to bring up and that is Niflheim’s habit of denying and violating signed treatings.”

“Ah, invading the crown city during the signing ceremony.”

“Yes, the invasion is a direct violation of the rules of engagement.” Luna told them. “The conditions of the signing were planned weeks in advance and Idola was well aware of what attacking during the ceremony meant. I’m hesitant to think that even if you were to turn your back on us and aid Niflheim they may turn against you. Lucis by comparison makes an effort to keep its allies.”

“Yes but Lucis has requested modification to treaties many times. For their favor might I add.” The man said. “For instance Lucis has continually requested changes regarding resource distribution-”

“-However it has never denied Altissia any promised resources. Neither has it denied Tenebrae any promised resources, which may I remind you, we receive fewer of.”

“Yes, but Tenebrae also has higher favor within the Lucis kingdom.” Another man spoke and Noctis mentally cursed their luck. It was man he hoped would keep his mouth shut. “After all I’m sure there’s a reason why Lucis and Tenebrae chose to keep your research into the Lucis crystal to yourselves.”

“Accordo was invited to take part in the research. You refused.” Luna said, “Solheim never had a crystal so they have no reason to participate. I’m sure I do not need to explain why the offer to take part was never extended to Niflheim.”

“That does not change the fact that Lucis has shown Tenebrae favor. Especially with the choice to annul a key long term contract. Which I believe you called for, correct highness?”

Luna said nothing, but looked to Noctis who was having trouble hiding the scowl on his face. She looked back to the men and women before her. “I’m not sure how this is-”

“Ms. Fleuret, I am addressing the prince of Lucis.” The man said a grin on his face. Noctis looked at him then Ignis not sure if or how he should respond. It looked like Ignis himself was taken a little off guard by the sudden mention of this old contract. He pushed his glasses up a little and looked at the prince.

“Stay calm, and try and bring the court back to Luna’s points. He has little pull bringing this up.” Ignis told him. Noctis nodded and stepped up. Luna looked at him a little nervous before stepping away from the podium so he could take her place. They both knew that this was a pointless argument but since it was brought up it needed to be addressed.

His people were dying and one of these officials was stalling by bringing up an old marriage contract. Arguing this was a waste of time.

“Prince Caelum.”

“Sir.” Noctis said hiding his frustration under a mask of politeness that was barely staying in place.

“I trust your stay in Accordo has been enjoyable?”

“It is. Altissia is as beautiful as I remember it.”

“I’m glad to hear. It’s been years since you stepped through the capital’s gates. You’ve barely left your country since your accident.”

“Well some things are hard to forget.” Noctis said. He hoped he did not sound too sarcastic, but if he did his tone was not acknowledged. Instead they got to the point.

“Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, you remember that seven years ago a contract was signed between your father and Duke Warren. It was an agreement for an arranged marriage between you and now Duchess Candace Warren when you two were of age. Am I correct?”

“You are correct.” Noctis said choosing his words carefully. Altissia took politeness very seriously.

“And you requested that contract annulled five months ago.”

“I did. It was a mutual agreement between myself and Duchess Candace to end the arrangement. Neither of us agreed with the politics surrounding-”

“And yet not even a few months later you announced your engagement to Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae. The week of the signing ceremony if I remember. Is this correct?”

Noctis frowned. Technically that was true, but it was only announced because someone leaked it to the media. An ambitious photographer who happened to see them walking around the city and happened to notice a specific ring resting on Luna’s fingers and that they were a were allegedly standing a little closer to each other than normal - how they thought that he had no idea. “My relationship with Luna...with Ms. Fleuret is not politically motivated, if that’s what you're implying.” He said.

“It isn’t you say.”

“Yes, and while we’re on the subject,” Noctis began and he could already imagine Ignis was shaking his head as the prince’s patience started to thin, “what does my personal life have to do with this discussion? Because I believe we’re supposed to be discussing getting my country's crystal back from Niflheim.”

“Prince Caelum, this marriage had several political ramifications for both Accordo and Lucis, many of which would have been beneficial to both parties and you chose to toss that aside on a whim. Regardless of your motivations the implications that you would choose to marry a Tenebrae Aristocrat over Duchess Candace-”

“My people are dying!” Noctis shouted, his voice echoing through the chambers. “Each day that Niflheim occupies my country my citizens are dying, and you’re more interested in discussing a political marriage that fell through?”

“Highness…” Ignis warned him and Luna cringed as the entire discussion was beginning to fall apart. Noctis wasn’t done.

“What if it was your people? If it was your people would you be sitting around twiddling your thumbs like you are now? Or would you be trying to do everything you could to protect them, to make sure that they weren't in the hands of a madman?”

“Accordo is not the one with an active crystal Noctis-”

“And if Idola keeps his hands on my crystal he’ll use it to lay Altissia to waste! He destroyed Insomnia in minutes with just bombs, imagine what he’d do to Altissia, no all of Accordo, if he managed to unlock the power of the Lucis crystal. But no I’m sorry, the important thing isn’t that your people might be in danger, that Idola could kill every person in this city, and reduce it to dust, it’s a fucking marriage contract that has absolutely nothing to do with this war!”

“Highness!”

“That’s quite enough Prince Caelum.”

The discussions became muted and while Luna was given the opportunity to speak a little more they broke for the day shortly afterward. The three were excused and stood outside in the hallways near Altissia’s palace courtyard. Noctis’ scowl had not left his face since he blew up in the court’s faces. Luna was pacing, drumming her fingers, Ignis had a frown on his face as he played with the rim of his glasses.

“Well, that could have gone better.” Ignis said. Noctis was silent. “I’ll admit highness, I’m sure some will be moved by your concern for your people but an attitude and vocabulary like that won’t get you far politically.”

“I’m sorry….” Noctis said. His voice was a little hoarse from yelling and he sounded exhausted. He kept his eyes on the pond in the courtyard, which was sorely lacking in frogs, as he heard Luna’s footsteps stop. It was a peaceful cool morning, the lights of the dead were almost invisible in it.

“Highness,” Ignis said his voice a little calmer. “I understand this is a little overwhelming. We haven’t had a chance to breath since we got here but-”

“Ignis I can see them!” Noctis said looking at his advisor and Luna. “Every night, every day. Etro’s gate is brighter than ever; their screams are in my dreams!  And Accordo wants to waste time talking about an arranged marriage from when I was fifteen?” He turned directly to Luna looking into her blue eyes. “You can see it too, can’t you?”

“Y-yes. You know I can.” Luna said trying to keep herself calm, trying to keep Noctis calm. Noctis had no reply and looked away from them. He ran a hand through his hair, partly relieved by the reminder that seeing those lights dancing around his head was not a sign he was going crazy. He felt like he was, his nightmares were getting worse, and he felt more tired than he had in a long time. Luna moved closer standing next to him and put a gentle hand on his arm. “Everything is going to be alright.”

“Doesn’t feel like it right now.” Noctis said his tone bitter and the blonde girl winced a little before squeezing his arm a little tighter. Noctis looked at her hand then away his face partly obscured by his hair. “I screwed up didn’t I.” Neither of them answered until Ignis decided to do so after carefully considering his words.

“I think regardless of today, there’s no denying Accordo is stalling, otherwise they would not have brought this up.” Ignis said. “Perhaps we should consider finding our allies elsewhere.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Luna said, “I already got back in contact with a few friends in Tenebrae, they’re going to try and pull some strings and see if I can meet with the Queen. The Queen was always pleased with the results of our research project and always had good things to say about Lord Regis. I think she’ll be willing to listen to us.”

“You’ve planned ahead.” Ignis observed a frown on his face as the blonde nodded.

“I have twenty hours to work with a day. Might as well put them to use.” She said. “I’m also trying to get into contact with Solheim. Tenebrae has never had a good relationship with them, but I thought it would be worth a try.”

“Solheim and Lucis have been longtime friends, it helps that crystals were never part of the equation. They’ll grant you an audience if they know I’m alive and well.” Noctis said. His hand moved from the pillar it had been resting on to Luna’s shoulder, lightly caressing the fabric of her white dress. “Just don’t overwork yourself okay.”

“I make no such promises.” Luna said a cheeky grin on her face that made Noctis sigh a little. She was trying to lighten the mood but it was not really working for him. So he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. He did not feel very steady and holding her close helped. Feeling her against him and holding her helped him remember that was was happening was really happening. That he was not dreaming and would not be waking up in a tent in the Duscae region. He sighed and it was the tired sounding sigh of someone with too much weight on their shoulders.

“Perhaps it would be wise for all of us to take the morning off.” Ignis said getting their attention and having noticed Noctis worn down demeanor. “Highness, you should get some rest, you look exhausted and ready to collapse.”

Noctis nodded. He was very certain that part of his mood was because he was so tired. A nap sounded like a good idea, except he was pretty sure that he promised the others that he would hang out with them after the meeting. Prompto wanted to go out into the city and buy some new clothes. His old attire was starting to look pretty shabby from being on the road. Noctis had agreed to go with him, but now he didn’t have the energy to want to try. Prompto would be disappointed, he hated disappointing his friend. However he also knew if he passed out on the street or in a store that his friend would feel awful about dragging him out.

Noctis could make up for missing the outing. “We’ll meet for lunch around one?” He asked. If there was one thing Prompto liked more than clothes shopping and playing video games, it was food.

“Of course.” Ignis said a smile on his face. “I’ll make sure we find a place to your liking. Shall we return to our room?”

It taking a moment for him to realize that Ignis expected him to follow him back to their sleeping quarters. Noctis looked at the floor and Ignis was not sure why until he noticed a slight blush on Noctis face. “...my things are in Luna’s room. I had them moved there last night.” He said. Ignis said nothing at first before moving his hand a little to push his glasses up and partially cover his face.

“Of course. Then we’ll meet in the palace lobby later.” Ignis said. His tone sounded odd and Noctis was not sure what to make of it as Ignis excused himself and left their company. He felt strange seeing Ignis just up and leave like that, and he was not sure whether he should be upset by it or not. He shook his head, struggling to keep his eyes open. He desperately needed to lie down.

“Come on let’s go.” He said looking to Luna.

“You sure you’re going to make it?” Luna asked. “Weather’s great, you could lie down right on the grass. You always liked sleeping in the sun.”

Despite his exhaustion he found himself smiling a little. “Tempting, but this is my only suit and I can’t risk getting grass stains in it.” He said still holding her close. “And it’s too hot. Summer heat sucks.”

“Want it to suck less? Wear less black.” Luna suggested and Noctis chuckled.

“Now you’re asking for to much.” He said, he had a grin on his face and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. “Let’s go.”

The two started down the hall but did not get very far when they bumped into another person.

“Oh excuse me!” She said moving a few steps back. Noctis looked her over. He had seen this person in passing a few times, she was a young woman that was his height with short black hair and piercing green eyes, dressed in a light purple shirt with black pants. She was very pretty, he would not deny that, and had a strong presence about her.

Being around her made him uneasy. Though friendly there was a coldness to her voice and a fire in her eyes that told him to be careful when around her. Sometimes when she looked at him he wondered if he should sleep with a knife under his pillow. Even as she bowed in apology there was something off about her gesture that was off. Like she was unused to it the gesture. “I’m so sorry my lady. My lord.” She said acknowledging him.

“It’s okay.” Luna said. “Aurora was it? I’ve seen you around a lot the past few days. Busy?”

“You remember me my lady. I’m honored.” Aurora said straightening. Noctis said nothing but noted she sounded sarcastic. “But yes I’ve been very busy. I’m doing daily rounds around the castle. The usual security checks, nothing new, but we’re on heightened alert now that his highness is present.”

Noctis had noticed that security seemed unusually high in the castle. He had not thought about it until now, probably because he was used to seeing extra security in general during formal events, but now he found himself suddenly aware of how many guards he past just five minutes ago, and how many of them were carrying firearms. The rifles made him very uneasy. They made them all uneasy, even Prompto who liked guns. He pulled on Luna’s arm a little getting her attention.

“Oh right.” Luna said having been torn from her brief conversation. “We need to get going. It was good seeing you again Aurora.”

“Likewise my lady.” Aurora said then gave one last look to Noctis. A cold look in her eyes was hidden behind her friendly smile. “Highness.”

Noctis found his voice get stuck in his throat so he simply nodded to her and she walked around them. He sighed and when she was out of sight looked to Luna. “She’s scary.” He said.

“Yeah, a little bit.” Luna said. “She’s nice, but something about her makes me nervous. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“What’s her story?” Noctis asked. Luna shrugged.

“I don’t know the details but her official records say she served in the outskirts of Accordo spying on Niflheim camps.” Luna said. “A tough job I bet. Spies kind of creep me out. You never know what they’re thinking. What do you think?”

“I don’t trust them. It’s hard to trust someone that keeps a lot of secrets.”

“You really think so?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t feel comfortable around her.” Noctis said and Luna gave a small nod more to herself than to him. They finally reached Luna’s room, a large room, not quite as big as the four person suite he had been staying in with the guys when he first got here, but still pretty big. His things were still in a corner, Noctis had little interest in unpacking anything, he kept having this feeling that they would be up and leaving soon and he did not want to get to comfortable. Instead he took off his suit jacket, lay it on the chair near Luna’s desk, kicked off his shoes, and flopped onto the bed. He let out a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. The light was on giving the room a calm golden color to it.

“What are you thinking about?” Luna asked taking a seat next to him.

“I don’t know. I guess...I still feel like I’m dreaming.” Noctis said. “It’s still hard to believe that what’s happening right now is real.”

“Well I can assure you it’s very real.” Luna said resting her hand on his leg. “You aren’t dreaming, you aren’t going to wake up in a tent in the Duscae Region or in a Lestallum hotel. You’re safe here, in Altissia, with your friends and with me.”

“Still feels so hard to believe...” He said his voice barely audible as he closed his eyes only to frown when he felt someone poking his cheek. He groaned and rolled onto his side only to feel a hand on his shoulder shake him.

“Hey, you’re not going to sleep in your suit are you?” Luna was talking to him. He looked at her and blinked a few times making sure he was not imagining anything. She was no longer in her fancy white dress but a long white shirt with blue leggings. He frowned, confused by the change in attire before it occurred to him that he probably did fall asleep for a little while. “You’re going to get this thing all wrinkled you know.”

Noctis smiled knowing he should change but did not want to. Wrinkles were easier to get out of suits than grass stains. “Don’t care…nap time...” He muttered closing his eyes again and letting himself fall into a deep sleep. Luna shook her head before taking a spare thin blanket from the mostly empty closet and covering him with it. She moved her hand to his head and brushed her fingers through his hair.

He looked peaceful for now and that made her smile and hope his sleep would not be ruined by more nightmares.

* * *

 “He probably just overslept again. I mean, it’s Noct.” Prompto said.

“Probably overslept? He definitely overslept. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still sleeping.” Gladiolus said, a knowing grin on his face as Ignis frowned and checked the time again. It was almost two o’clock. They were supposed to have left for the restaurant Prompto suggested an hour ago. They were still waiting at the doors that lead out of the palace for the prince in question to show up. “You think he forgot we were going out?”

“He’s with Luna. He always forgets stuff when he’s with Luna.” Prompto said a knowing grin on his face.

“Indeed. Perhaps we should fetch him from her.” Ignis said. He was frowning and his tone bitter. Which only made Gladiolus chuckle and Prompto’s grin became wider.

“Easy there Iggy, no need to get all jealous.” The blonde said and Ignis stared at him like a deer looking at a pair of headlights.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Jealous.”

“I am not jealous.”

“You are so jealous.” Prompto said. Ignis glared at him which only made the blonde laughed. “See? You have that look.”

“What look?”

“That same look you always have on your face when someone you don’t like has Noct all to themselves. You used to give me that look and now you're using that look with her. You’re jealous and it’s adorable.”

“He’s got a point Iggy. You do look pretty jealous.” Gladiolus said still grinning. Ignis sighed; he had been over this with them before. Just because he was not fond of Luna did not mean he was jealous of her. Sure, he did not like how she monopolized a lot of Noctis’ time, or how Noctis’ priorities seemed to go completely out the window whenever she was in town, but he was not jealous. He expected Noctis to put his significant other on a slightly higher pedestal than himself, especially when that significant other lived on the other side of the world and was only in town a few weeks in the year.

So, no, he was not jealous and had no reason to be. Not at all.

Not that saying that would stop Prompto from making fun of him. The blonde boy was already preparing another round of teasing when someone caught his eye.

“Hey! Look who's here!” He said and rushed over as Noctis walked into the hallway, dressed in his usual attire, hair in desperate need of being combed. He stopped as Prompto wrapped him into a hug. “There you are! About time. Ignis was starting to think you’d been kidnapped.”

“No, just having a little trouble getting up.” Noctis said as Prompto let go and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“I noticed. I mean did you look in a mirror before you left?” Prompto asked noting his friends hair.  “You're hopeless when you don’t have me as your alarm clock.”

Noctis found himself laughing a little as Prompto half dragged him over to the rest of his friends.

“Well look who's up.” Gladiolus said.

“Did you sleep well highness?” Ignis asked noting that Noctis eyes looked a little brighter and his skin had a healthier color to it.

“Yeah. I did.” Noctis said. He did not have any nightmares, if he had he would remember them, and he felt pretty well rested. He felt more awake than he had in a few days, which he wanted to enjoy while he could. “So, where are we going?”

“I found this really nice place by the water.” Prompto said, “They got a pretty good selection, and you can see the frozen surface of the lake if we get an outdoor table.”

“It’s quite the sight highness, I thought you’d enjoy the view.” Ignis said. He remembered Noctis had been staring out at the partly frozen lake as they crossed the long bridge into the capital city. He just could not remember if it had been in wonder of the unusual sight or if it was because Noctis was sensing the Archaean Leviathan. The dark haired prince thought about it for a second and shrugged.

“Sounds good. Let’s go.”

“Finally!” Prompto shouted in excitement as he lead the way out of castle. Noctis followed behind them, taking in the detailed garden and watching workers and soldiers walk past them. He looked up at the castle walls to see more guards stationed at key points armed and ready for anything. It was almost as if Accordo was preparing for an impending invasion, but as they jumped into the car and began down the road to the place in question, Noctis noticed a lack of any kind of security on the streets. A few police here and there but nothing out of the ordinary.

Maybe he was just a little paranoid and the morning meeting was still aggravating him. Maybe the extra security at the castle was just cause him and Luna were inside it and neither were really expected to leave the palace for an afternoon outing like he was doing now. However even as he thought that and let his head rest nonchalant against the Regalia’s door, he could not help but feel that something was not right. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something about the environment was not sitting well with him.

“Oh hey Noct, you think after lunch we can go shopping?” Prompto asked turning around in his seat. “I still want to get some clothes.”  
  
“I thought you already did.”

“He did, but he wants to take you out to look around since you missed the fun this morning.” Ignis said, “I would say no if I were you, we’re low on funds.”

“I didn’t spend that much Iggy.”

“You went through eighty percent of our budget in two hours.”

“You said seventy this morning!”

“Did I? I miscalculated.” Ignis said a smirk on his face which made Prompto grumble a little and the blonde cross his arms.

“You two could always go window shopping.” Gladiolus said. “I mean you know what they say, ‘looking is free’.”

“Yeah but looking isn’t the same as buying, right Noct?” Prompto asked and the crown prince considered his friends words and Ignis money concerns before shrugging.

“I’m okay with just looking.” Noctis finally said. “A nice walk around town sounds pretty good.” Prompto did not look or sound disappointed, just excited.

“Alright it’s decided then. I’m taking Noct out on the town after lunch. Jealous Iggy?”

Had Iggy not been driving, Noctis was sure his advisor would have tried to hit Prompto over the head. And in fact once they got to the restaurant and parked the regalia Ignis did give Prompto a light hit over the head. The four friends entered the restaurant and were sat down by the water at Ignis’ request. Noctis stared out at it, deep in thought.

Altissia was built in the middle of a lake that for some reason seemed to be perpetually half frozen. No one knew the cause but it was believed it was because of Leviathan. The beastly Archaean made the lake it’s home and guarded the capital city out of good faith. In turn it’s people worshipped it like a god. It was a monstrous yet intelligent creature with a lot of power behind it. At least that’s what he remembered, he could only recall seeing it once.

“What do you think Noct?” Prompto asked. Noctis said nothing as he continued to look at the water until Prompto took a bread roll and tossed it at the prince’s head. That got his attention and he winced at the sudden pressure of something hitting his head and glared at his blonde friend.

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself. I asked you something.” Prompto said and sighed when he saw the blank look on Noctis face. His friend had not been paying attention. “You think the ice is thick enough to go skating on? Or do you think I’d sink like a rock?”

Noctis thought for a second then looked back out at the water. “Think you’d sink. The ice looks pretty thin. Not sure how it stays that way.”

“Yeah it’s a bit crazy.” Gladiolus said, “Then again not everything in the world makes sense.”

“Would be nice to understand the unknown wouldn’t it.” Ignis said, “Perhaps someday we'll know what magic causes this effect on the lake.”

“Yeah and then maybe we’ll figure out how to keep Noct awake past ten.” Prompto said a smirk on his face. Noctis opened his mouth to object but his friend interrupted him. “Without spending half the evening asleep in a broom closet.”

With that any retort the prince had fell flat and he glared at his friends as he saw Gladiolus and Ignis try and hide their smirks and laughter. “Stop it.” He said though his command was painfully weak. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s pretty funny Noct. Mostly because it’s true.” Gladiolus said.

“It only happened once.”

“Five times in the last year.”

“Shut up…” Noctis muttered. It wasn’t his fault that his father’s parties sometimes lasted until one in the morning and he needed a nap to even hope to keep up with them. He looked away back at the water his face hot with embarrassment. To his relief the moment their lunch arrived the topic changed and Prompto and Gladiolus began talking about other things, apparently swimming was on there minds thanks to the lake. Noctis listened in content silence, sometimes chuckling as Prompto said something amusing and glancing back at the water below.

The sight was beautiful, he was willing to admit that. It made him feel at peace. Outside the palace he felt more calm and relaxed, almost like a weight of stress had been pulled off his shoulders. Only now he felt a tightness in his chest that he could not quite pinpoint. A dull achiness that formed as his mind wandered back to Lucis.

He was homesick. The realization hit him hard now that he actually had a little time to sit and get his thoughts together. He wanted this war to be over with as soon as possible. To bring the crystal back to his people, and begin cleaning up Insomnia and any other cities that fell to Niflheim’s attacks. He wanted the chance to bury his father, even though by the time he got back it would be next to impossible to recover his body. He hoped a tombstone in the courtyard, next to his mother’s resting place, would be enough.

He frowned as he continued to stare at the lake, his thoughts swirling in his head to the point of incoherence, but the one that kept coming back to him was Leviathan. Archaean’s were intelligent creatures, dangerous if challenged, capable of a degree of independent thought, but because of his connection to the crystal, Noctis could influence them. If his control over Titan meant anything than surely he could also gain control over Leviathan.

If he could control Leviathan. If he could use it for force Accordo’s hand…

“Highness.” Ignis voice broke his thoughts and he looked at his advisor. “Is something wrong? You haven’t touched your lunch.”

“If he’s not hungry I’ll take it!” Prompto said.

“Uh uh, it’s mine.” Gladiolus said, but he was only half joking as he looked at the young prince. “You okay Noct? You look a bit upset.”

Did he? Of course he did, his face was practically an open book. “It’s nothing.” Noctis said. “Just thinking, that’s all.”

“You want to talk? You know if you have something on your mind you can talk to us.”

Noctis nodded. He appreciated Gladiolus telling him that. He already knew it, but being reminded now and again that his friends would listen to him was nice. However right now he did not want to talk about what he was on his mind, not until his thoughts were more together. He took a bite of his food hoping that actually eating his lunch would make them feel better and slowly the three returned to their discussion. Noctis nodded and sometimes smiled, but he was only half listening. His head was buzzing with ideas. Ideas he did not want his friends to hear. Not yet at least.

 


	2. Cracks in Castle Security

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peaceful starry night ends badly as the castle is infiltrated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a quick name archive:
> 
> Aurora = The black haired girl. I picked this since it's a very popular fan name for the character on tumblr.
> 
> Litus = The red/purple haired dude with the umbrella.
> 
> Filius = Blonde guy from earlier trailers that might be Niflheim's crown prince. I looked up Prince in latin and got 'regis filius' and just dropped the regis part for reasons that should be pretty obvious.
> 
> I'll probably change the names when we get official names for these guys. Though I'm hoping Aurora's name does in fact turn out to be Aurora <3

Meeting at a cafe was not her ideal place to talk, but Aurora had to admit she liked the hot chocolate and pies of the Giselle cafe. It was one of the few things she actually liked about Altissia, the bakeries were the finest she had visited. Niflheim was lacking in that department, not that the country had no bakeries, but they were of poor quality.

She still remembered when she was a child how every week she would run down to the town bakery after school to get cookies from the baker. They were the same ones each time, peanut butter raisin cookies. They were awful. She knew that now, but as a child they were the best thing in the world. She remembered being sad when the shop closed because of a mandatory draft that forced the owner into the last war. He had been killed just days before it was over. How long had that been? At least twenty-two years ago.

Aurora drank her hot chocolate in peace as she waited for the person she was meeting to arrive. She kept her eyes on the streets observing everyone. He would not come from the streets but he would also not show up if her attention was anywhere else. So she stayed calm and waited until the corner of her eye caught a man in a long coat and a hat. His hair was either red or purple, it looked like it could be both, but she was pretty sure it was red.

“You’re late Litus.” She said as he took a seat across from her. “Run into any trouble?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” He said, “And you have been?”

“Just enjoying a peaceful afternoon.” Aurora said, “Things are set up at the castle. I’m just waiting for the okay so our men can move.”

“You got them all inside? Impressive.”

“It wasn’t that hard.” She said with a shrug. “I take it you have the king's orders.”

“I do...but you might not like them.” Litus said and Aurora looked at him with a frown, “You’re mission has changed, the assassination has been called off.”

Aurora almost dropped her hot chocolate on the table. “What?” She asked trying to keep her voice down. “Why? Since day one he’s said if we find the prince to kill him on sight. Why change that?” She paused then frowned. “You sure this was an order from his majesty?”

“Right from the man himself.” Litus said then grinned, “You should see the look on your face, it’s priceless.”

Aurora sighed and let her hand rest on her palm. She had a pout on her face that just made him laugh a little harder. “Oh don’t be so upset, I mean, yeah it sucks. You’ve been waiting for this for awhile. Getting a chance to slash your little knife across his neck has been a dream of yours, but it’s going to have to wait.”

“I assume he gave a reason for his change of heart?” Aurora asked her tone making it clear she was displeased by the change of events.

“I don’t know all the details,  but Idola wants him for some research project.” Litus said and Aurora’s eyebrows shot up in interest. “My guess is it has to do with the crystal. Either way who better to use as a guinea pig for an experiment than one of your own enemies. It’s a win-win. We kidnap him, and he goes through a fate worse than death. What do you think?”

Aurora frowned and nodded. “Who's running the experiment?”

“Cyrus.” Litus said and he saw Aurora’s frown change to a scowl. “He proposed the idea, so it’s not like he’s being forced into it. In fact I hear he was quite excited about the opportunity to meet our Lucis ‘friend.’”

“Yeah…” Aurora muttered to herself. Excited to meet him for all the wrong reasons...she kept that part to herself, not like saying it out loud would change anything. She sighed and found herself rummaging through excuses to just stick with the former assassination attempt. “I don’t like this. There’s too many variables in a kidnapping. Have to be more careful, have make sure that target is still breathing. I’ve never been very good at keeping people breathing.”

“Yeah. I hear this one time you made Filius quite breathless.”

“Don’t make me smack you.” Aurora said shooting him a cold glare that was unmined a little by the slight hint of a blush on her face. “How do you even- nevermind I don’t want to know.”

“The palace walls are quite thin.”

Aurora decided to just change the topic altogether before Litus made more terrible jokes. “When does Idola want this done?”

“Outside of kidnapping instead of killing he wants your mission to proceed as scheduled.”

Hearing that made her clench her fist. She had hoped for a little more time. But if they delayed someone would notice that something was off about the soldiers she snuck into the rotation. They were not magitek troops, they were human, but that would only delay the inevitable of them being found out. She frowned as she tried to think a few things over then looked at Litus. “You think you can do something for me?”

“Of course.” Litus said a grin on his face.

* * *

“I don’t see her.”

Noctis stared at Luna in disbelief. “You don’t see her.”

“Don’t see her.”

“How can you not see her? She’s right there.” He said pointing up at the stars. The two were laying on the grass in the courtyard. It was a clear night, so Noctis had taken her out to look at the stars. “See? Right there.”

“‘Right there’ doesn’t help.” Luna said giggling a little. “I’m sorry but all I see is a bunch of twinkling stars scattered in the sky. I mean I know you see the constellations with no problem but it's a bit harder for me.”

“Look she’s easy to find.” Noctis said. He adjusted his position a little so he was partially sitting up, resting most of his weight on his arm. He directed Luna’s attention back to the sky. “Okay you see that large one right there? On your right?”

“Yeah?”

“Okay. Now look down one, then to the right. See those four stars that look like a misshapen square? That’s her cape, and on the left, the two that almost make a triangle, that’s her leg.” He said and watched Luna’s face contorted to a frown as she looked at the stars. Her eyes lit up and he smiled as she grinned.

“Oh! Yeah I see her. I think.” Luna said, “She’s still a bit hard to make out but yeah I can see her better. Strange, it doesn’t look like her, more of a rough outline.”

“Yeah Shiva’s appearance is a lot more...elaborate in the myths.” He said looking at her. He grinned. “Can’t compare to you.” He told her leaning in and kissing her lips. Luna smiled as he moved away and went back to lying down next to her.

“You can see Shiva in both Lucis and Altissa. What others can you see?”

“Well if we were stay up all night I should be able to see most of them. Only problem is I can’t stay up all night.”

“So no Fenrir.” Luna said and sighed when Noctis shook his head. “I’d like to see my country's Archaean someday. Doesn’t matter if it’s in the stars or in person, I just do.”

“Well when we get to Tenebrae, we can risk our lives climbing up onto the palace roof and look for him.” Noctis said. He looked at Luna who had a large grin on her face. “Sound good?”

“Sounds dangerous. We should do it.” She said. She curled up against him, wrapping an arm around him as she lay her head on his chest. Noctis watched the stars feeling at peace. Feeling her so close to him felt nice. She then looked up at him making a small noise as though she remembered something.

“There’s a story about the stars I read a few days ago.” She said. “It says that each star leads to another world, some similar to ours, some very different, and when a star goes out it’s because that world died.”

“Don’t tell Ignis that or you’ll be stuck in a three hour long lecture about how stars really work.”

“Five hours. Ignis tends to really give it to people he doesn’t like.” Luna said. Noctis was quiet, he did not like being reminded that Ignis had a degree of dislike for Luna. She got along well enough with Gladiolus. She got along really well with Prompto; it caused a brief jealous streak that the two still teased him over when they all hung out. Ignis was different. Skeptical and cautious. He understood why, the advisor was always looking out for him, but Noctis knew he needed to sit down and talk to Ignis about it eventually.

He must have been too quiet because he felt his cheek be poked lightly. “I’m still awake.” He said. Then he yawned.

“You sure?” Luna asked. She sounded amused. He nodded and blinked a few times.

“Yeah. Go on continue your story. You were saying something about other worlds?”

“Yeah. Here, imagine this…” She started and he listened as she explained the idea to him, about how there could be worlds out there that shared their stories and myths but went down different roads. She spoke of one about a woman who was fighting to save her sister, who had been blessed - or cursed depending on point of view - by a crystal like creature to carry out a task or become a monster. Then another about four nations at war with each other over control of the world's crystals and in one nation children in a magic academy had to fight because only the country's youth could use magic. There was one group of children, a group of twelve and two others at the head of the fighting even as there missions slowly brought the world to it’s end. Noctis listened intently as she spoke.

“And then in order to stop the world's destruction, the twelve cadets needed to become Agito.”

“‘Agito’. The savior.”

“Yup. Not surprised you’d know that.”

“I’ve heard the old stories so many times after the accident that they’re burned into my brain. When the doctors could not give my father answers, those stories did.” Noctis said, thinking about those stories as he stared at nothing in particular. “Those given power by the crystal used to be called Agito, because they were believed to be the saviors of their people.” He fell silent, a feeling of failure washing over him, “Can’t say I’ve done a very good job.”

“You’re doing everything you can Noct, you know that. You’re people know it too, I’m sure.” Luna said.

“Then why can’t I get Accordo to listen to reason?” Noctis asked. “Why can’t I get them to see that we need to get the crystal out of Niflheim’s hands?”

“Because regardless of what Lucis did for Accordo, all of your countries political power rides on the fact you had the last crystal.” Luna told him making Noctis look at her. “I don’t mean to come across as cold, but without that crystal, what does Lucis have to offer? Nothing different from what Tenebrae could give them. Niflheim now has all that influence.”

“And Niflheim will use it to make every nation in the world bow to them. They don’t want peace, they want war.”

“I know, but as long as they have the crystal some places will be more likely to listen to them than us. That’s why we’re here, to help you best we can.” Luna said. She moved her hand away from his chest to his shoulder and noted he felt very tense. “You need to relax. You keep stressing yourself out. Do you want to go back to looking at the stars?”

He considered her question then moved himself so instead of lying on his back, he was lying on his side. He looked at her, gazed at her and then suddenly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug. “No.” He said, letting his hand caress her back. He felt pretty sure at that moment that he was perfectly fine just cuddling up with her on the grass. It was a cool night, the wind blew lightly playing with his hair, and he only opened his eyes again when she felt her finger poke his cheek again. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m getting cold.” She said. Noctis moved his hand across her arm and noted there were small goosebumps running down it.

“You want to go inside?” He asked and she nodded. Reluctant as he was to move - he was far too comfortable - he did so sitting up and then standing and helping her to her feet. Luna dusted off her long dress-like shirt and Noctis shook off some grass that had gotten stuck to his clothes. He took her hand and led her back inside.

They talked a little while they walked back to their room. “The guys and I are going out to see this movie Prompto’s been waiting forever for. It’s weird how in some places movies are still opening in theaters.”

“What are you going to see?” Luna asked.

“Some action flick. He showed me a trailer and it looked like a lot of fun. Not sure if it’s Iggy’s thing, but Gladio sounded very excited.”

“I hope you have a good time. You deserve to relax a little.”

“So do you.”

“When I retire.”

Noctis shook his head and opened the door to the room letting Luna go in first. He closed the door behind them and kicked his boots off and hung up his jacket as Luna pulled off her shirt and tossed it in her hamper. He watched her for a few seconds a grin on his face as his eyes looked her over, stopping around her exposed back before moving up to her shoulders and then her hair which she pulled out of her ponytail. Some grass was in her hair. He snuck up behind her while she was at her mirror and pulled a few blades out of the back.

“Messy.” He said.

“Very messy.” She said a grin on her face. Her golden blonde hair was always messy, it was why she preferred to keep it tied up. Noctis liked the ponytails but he also liked how her hair framed her face when it was down. He found himself lightly brushing it with his fingers, moving it to her side and over her right shoulder exposing her neck. He let his fingers lightly caress the back of her neck and he saw her eyes widen a little before closing and enjoying his touch. Her skin was cool from being outside. He wrapped his arms around her waist holding her close as he gently placed kisses along her neck and collarbone.

“Do you like that?” He asked between kisses.

“Yeah.” She said before smiling her breath hitching a little when he placed his lips in the spots she liked to be touched. He smiled a little resting his head on her shoulder. Being with Luna was one of the best things to happen to him. He could not lose her again. He shook his head a little, he did not need to remember that bad place he was in when the news broke that his father and her had ‘died’ in the attack. He did not want to remember how much he scared his friends when he shut down from the shock.

Noctis looked up, his eyes focusing on a bottle that he had seen on her dresser a few times and desperately tried to find something different to think about. “What’s that?” He asked. He already knew the answer, but Luna saw how upset he looked in the mirror and decided to humor him.

“That’s my new medication. For the insomnia.” She said then added something he had not known. “I haven’t been taking it.”

He frowned and looked at her. “Why not?” He asked. It was not like Luna to not want to take her medication. Sleep did not come as easily to her as it did to him and anything that could give her a few hours of peace was a good thing that she never liked to pass on.

“You know why.” Luna said and Noctis gaze softened. The nightmares, she had them too. Just like him she was ‘gifted’ with being able to see the light, and the ability to see death in her dreams.

“It’s never bothered you before.”

“It’s never been this bad.”

“You’re right it hasn’t.” Noctis said, “I want it to stop. Some nights I hate the idea of sleeping because of what I’ll see, but I know I have to. You need to sleep too. You keep telling me that I’m stressed and need to relax, but you need relax too. You need to rest Luna.”

“I just keep thinking what will happen if this war continues on. How many people will lose there lives, not just in Lucis but also when Niflheim decides to attack Tenebrae. When I think of that I feel like I can’t stop.”

“You’re not stopping. You can’t do anything if the people you need to work with aren’t there to work with you, so please, take your meds and get some sleep. For me.” Noctis said holding her against him as he again placed a light kiss on her neck. He saw her eyes close for a bit enjoying the feeling of his touch before opening them again and nodding.

He gave her a little space so she could get some water and took the two pills she was instructed to take each night. She then layed down on the bed next to him. He held her close, running his hands across her back as she closed her eyes and let out a relaxed breath. Seeing her falling asleep made his eyes feel heavier than they already were, but he was not going to sleep yet. Not until he was sure she was asleep.

* * *

 Noctis slept like the dead and once he was asleep he usually would not wake up on his own for another ten or twelve hours. Luna by contrast barely slept at all. She enjoyed cuddling up to Noctis when he was sleeping, his embrace was comforting even as he was dead to the world, but after two or three hours she found herself struggling to stay still. Tonight was no exception. She felt like she did sleep for a little while, but her legs felt awfully stiff and uncomfortable now that she was awake. So with great reluctance she looked at the clock, noticed it was almost two in the morning, and got out of bed.

She changed out of her clothes and into a white nightgown and a pair of sandals. For the rest of the night Luna would do what she always did since she got to Altissia, which happened to be what she also liked to do in Tenebrae and Lucis. Read in the palace library. It was the quietest place in the castle, and the place she would be least likely disturb anyone. She kept her Vita in her purse in case she got bored of reading and wanted to play something instead, but right now a good book sounded better and easier on her eyes. Once her hair was tied back she ran a hand across Noctis’ cheek and kissed him lightly on his forehead. He did not stir, but his eyes moved a little in his sleep. He was dreaming. He did not look like he was having a nightmare and Luna found herself watching him for a little while.

Luna would not deny that she was a little envious of how Noctis could just lay down and sleep so easily, but then she would remember his nightmares, his screams, and reminded herself that neither of them were in a great situation. Just as Noctis days were often too short, her’s were too long. Far too long. And exhaustion and bad dreams came regardless.

Enough musing to herself, Luna got her things and quietly closed the bedroom door when she was out in the hall. She got to the library, put her purse on the table, and began going through the shelves in the fiction section. She had sworn she left the book she was leaving on a table, but someone must have done a little cleaning so now she needed to find it again. She crossed the hallway of the library and stopped where she was sure that one book she was reading had been. She grabbed a nearby stool and climbed onto it to reach.

The sound of footsteps made her freeze in place and look over. It sounded like someone was inside the library but that was not possible. Everyone except for a few guards were asleep, and no one outside of her ever entered the library this late at night. She saw Aurora and a night guard in it a few times, but she had doubts that either would be here now. She looked away for a second to grab her book, but kept her ears open for more noise.

She heard them again, more footsteps, this time louder. Purposely louder. Luna put her book down quiet enough to not make any noise and started down the hall, the bookshelves being the only thing between her and whoever else was in the room. She moved quietly trying to make as little noise as possible as she walked along. Luna stopped at the end of the long bookshelf and looked over. No one was here. She crossed down the next section and stopped when she heard the sound of wind hitting against curtains. She moved over to the window to find that it was open. She frowned and moved a little closer noting a small bit of cloth stuck on the climbing fence.

Someone had tried to get out? No, the opposite, someone had tried to get in. And the moment Luna thought that she clenched her fist tightly and called her weapon, a rapier crafted specifically for her. With it in her hand she looked behind her. “Whoever’s in here, show yourself!” She called into the large dark room. She tried to keep her voice steady, not show that she was at that moment more than a little afraid.

The silence was not any better and only made her hair stand on end. Then there was clapping, loud and nearby that made her jump. She turned around as she heard footsteps and someone clapping approach her. A man in a long coat, purplish hair, a hat on his head. There was a smile on his face that sent shivers down her spine. “Well hello there princess. Or almost but not quite princess. Gotta say, you’re certainly quite the beauty Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.”

“Who are you?” Luna asked watching him wearily.

“Well I was hoping to be your not so silent assassin. Still kind of hoping that’s the case now that I’ve been found out.” The man said and his casualness and blunt honesty made her tense as he lifted something in his hand. A decent sized closed umbrella, which he twisted the middle of and pulled apart to reveal a small sword.

Luna watched him for a second then took a step back. That turned out to be the wrong move, the moment she did he lunged and she found herself defending against his attack, his blade hitting hers as she quickly parried throwing him off balance, However when she tried to counter attack he easily recovered and blocked her. A grin was on his face as she glared at him, he was enjoying this.

“Not bad.” He said as he tried to move her off balance. He was quick and strong, Luna already knew from his build that she was at a disadvantage as she blocked another attack that almost threw her off balance. She would not be able to overpower him, and she had no way to use magic because Noctis was asleep. She had to get help, she needed to get out of the library and get help.

Her phone was in her purse...which was on the table at the front of the library. “You can’t just defend, your gonna have to attack sooner or later.” He said and lunged again. “You keep stalling I’ll kill you, or someone else will get hurt. Someone special.”

Someone special. Noctis immediately came to her mind as did the dreadful possibility that there was someone else besides this man in the castle. Again she defended but this time she knocked him off balance and aimed quickly at his leg. Her rapier met cloth, then skin as the blade just struck, drawing blood and sending pain through his body. He stumbled back and she pushed forward. One strike upward that was blocked then a thrust forward that left thin cuts on his side. He grabbed the side of his chest where she struck him and Luna used that as her opportunity to escape. The blonde moved quickly getting around one of the bookshelves and running down to where her things were as fast as she could. All the while she could hear laughing.

“You’re running away now? But the fun just started!”

Luna tried hard to not think of what could be going through the madman’s head. She reached the table and quickly unzipped her purse and pulled out her phone. She was making her way to the door as she brought up her contact information. She was not going to call Noctis, Noctis slept through everything. She called Prompto. In seconds she heard the phone pick up.

“‘ello?”

“Prom, it’s Luna.” She said moving to the library exit. “We have a problem. You need to get someone to wake Noct and get him somewhere safe, the castle's been-”

She opened the door and stopped as she almost ran into someone walking in. No someone waiting, their black hime cut hair and green eyes instantly recognizable. “Luna? You okay?” She heard Prompto say over the phone but did not answer to startled by the presence of the person in front of her.

“Aurora…” She muttered and her eyes widened as she felt a sharp blade pierce her stomach. She looked down in shock as her white nightgown became stained with blood then back up at the woman in question. “You’re…” She started but found herself losing words as her vision spun and she fell over. Her phone bounced on the floor making an audible cracking noise and shutting off altogether. The screen cracked under the pressure of the sudden drop and Aurora looked at it, then Luna huddled on the floor, the knife still in her. She then looked up as Litus walked over.

“Nice timing.” He said, “So are you gonna kill her, am I gonna killer her, or what?”

“Well, she always did have that smile that pissed me off.” Aurora said kneeling next to the young girl. Luna was still conscious, her eyes still open, and while she was in a clear amount of pain Aurora could see anger in her eyes. “That looks like it hurts pretty bad.” She said, a cold smile on her face. “You might want to get it looked at.”

Luna’s hand moved a little and for a second Aurora thought that she might recall her weapon and try to attack her with it. However the pain and blood loss got to the blonde woman and her eyes glazed over and shut as she lost consciousness. Aurora looked over over contemplating whether to kill her now or let her die slowly. Not that it mattered since she was just meant to be a distraction. Whether she survived or not was not important. Aurora looked down at the phone then to Litus.

“Call our men, have whoever is of rank in the castle executed. I’m going for the prince.”

* * *

“Luna? Luna, are you there?” Prompto said loudly into the phone. He got no answer, there was just a disturbing silence on the other end. Gladiolus and Ignis had been woken up by his phone vibrating loudly and were awake enough to see that whatever Prompto had heard was troubling him.

“What did she say again?” Gladiolus asked.

“She said we had a problem and needed to wake Noct. Something about the castle then nothing. Phone’s dead.” Prompto said then looked to Ignis. “What do you think?”

Ignis frowned, he was reluctant to wake up Noctis so late at night. The prince needed plenty of sleep to make it through the day and waking him at one in the morning was just asking for trouble, especially if it turned out to be nothing. Luna knew this, so her request was almost hard to believe. Something had to have happened.

“We should look around it’s probably something we can handle without waking him.” He said and he looked between the other two to see them both nod, and that Prompto was chewing on his lip bouncing a little from nervousness. “We’ll start at the library and work our way around the castle.” The advisor’s words made his friend relax a little.

The three left the four-person room and started down the hall when they heard yelling. They heard a scream and cry for help then the sound of a gun firing. The three rushed down the hall stopping when they saw a soldier walking up to them with a firearm. “What’s going on?” Ignis asked only to stop short as the soldier lifted the weapon to him.

“Back to your rooms Lucian’s!” The man ordered aiming at them. Ignis immediately recognized the accent as one from Niflheim and his mind immediately feared the worst. There was another scream and another gunshot followed by yelling. “You’ll go back if you don’t want to end up like them.”

“And then what? We’ll turn around and you’ll shoot us in the back?” Ignis said. “You’ll have to forgive us for not cooperating.”

The man scowled and readied to fire, but Prompto was faster his pistol in hand and firing a bullet right through the man's head. He dropped to the floor and Prompto honestly thought he’d be a little sick. He was used to killing animals and magitek troops, not actual soldiers. Not actual people. Ignis giving them orders was the only thing that snapped him out of it. “We need to get to his highness, Prompto you go to the library and find Luna.”

“O-okay.”

The blonde did not waste any time, he started down the hall that lead to the library. Gladiolus and Ignis rushed in the other direction, down to the room where Noctis was staying. He had no idea if Noctis was still asleep, the prince could sleep like the dead but even he had his doubts he could sleep through so much noise. He brought his gaze down to his hand as he followed Gladiolus trying to see if he could sense magic. He concentrated on his fingers. Nothing.

Ignis was snapped out of his thoughts when Gladiolus suddenly pinned him to the wall. He was about to ask why when he heard another loud blast from a firearm followed by the sound of glass shattering behind them. That was why.

“Damn I missed.” A man’s voice said and Gladiolus turned to see the man had noticed a young soldier had tried to corner him. The man had been trying to attack a soldier that actually was serving with Accordo’s military. There was blood dripping from his arm where he had been stabbed by the blade.

“Well, now I know I won’t.” The man said as he got close and aimed at the man point blank. Ignis tried to react quickly summoning a knife to throw at the man but the man pulled the trigger faster, the bullet going through the soldiers head. He slumped to the ground.

Ignis threw the knife anyway ready to catch their enemy off guard, but the man noticed and moved out of the way. He had a smirk on his face that turned into a grimace as the knife hit his cheek. He grumbled as he put his hand against it and smirked. Today he seemed to be collecting a lot of scars. He had to admit, he kind of liked it. Battles scars were in this season. He imagined he could get more than a few eyes looking at him.

“Come on! Is that all you got?” He yelled and lunged sword in hand to Ignis. However Gladiolus was in the way and the man called his weapon making the other jump back. Gladiolus greatsword was more than a match for his scrawny blade, but still the man kept smiling, which told Gladiolus that said person was either crazy or a very good fighter. Or a little of both.

“I got him.” Gladiolus said and that told Ignis enough. The advisor continued down another hall leaving Gladiolus to deal with the intruder. He expected that Gladiolus could handle him well enough, he heard the sounds of metal clashing along with the noise of laughter. He was not far from Luna and Noctis’ room, just a few undercover soldiers that tried to get in his way. Thankfully ones without firearms. He took a few steps back and to get them one at a time, easily outmaneuvering the first to stab him in the stomach, pull out his knives and kick the other in the side before grabbing his head and shoving it into the wall. He saw blood splatter from the soldier’s nose and mouth but paid little attention when the man collapsed on the floor.

With both out of the way Ignis reached the bedroom in question and pushed the door open. To his surprise Noctis was moving, he was partly sat up and his hand was on his head.

“Highness.” Ignis said, closing the door behind him and rushing over. It appeared the commotion had in fact woken Noctis up, though as he got closer it seemed Noctis was less awake and just merely conscious. He looked confused and disoriented and there was a thin sheen of sweat dripping down his head. Ignis put a hand to his forehead and noted that he felt very warm. His first thought was that Noctis was having a nightmare when the commotion woke him up, or that he was coming down with a something, but he put those thoughts out of his mind for now. He could worry about Noctis health after he got him out of the castle.

“Highness, can you hear me?” Ignis asked shaking the prince lightly to try and get him to come around more. To his relief the dark haired man looked at him.

“Ignis?” He asked and the advisor nodded moving away to give his friend a little air. “What’s going on? It’s so bright... people are…” The prince trailed off almost as though speaking the words was making him piece everything together.

“The castle's been attacked, Luna told us to wake you up and get you our of here.”

“Luna…” Noctis said looking to his side where another person should have been lying next to him only to find she was not there. “Where’s Luna?”

“...I don’t know.” Ignis said. “Prompto has gone to look for her. But more importantly I need to get you out of the castle.” He helped Noctis sit on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes. “We need to hurry.”

“I need to find her.” Noctis said and Ignis stared at him bewildered wondering if the prince had even heard him.

“Prompto is searching for her. Highness your safety is my main priority, I need to get you somewhere safe.” He said. Noctis shook his head and Ignis found himself realizing he was going to be difficult.

“We’re not leaving without her.” Noctis said. “Or Prompto and Gladio. Where’s Gladio?” He asked realizing that one of them had not been mentioned.

“Distracting who I guess was the instigator of this mess.” Ignis said.

“He might need help.”

Ignis wanted to smack his prince over the head. Now was not the time for Noctis to be stubborn and worry about his friends. He appreciated that Noctis cared, but the reality was that Gladiolus, Prompto and himself all needed to put Noctis safety before their own, and acts of stubbornness like this one were not helpful. “Noctis, he’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that.” Noctis said standing and swaying a little as a brief dizzy spell hit him. Ignis reached out to steady him resting hands on his shoulders. “I’m not leaving without Gladiolus and Prompto. I’m not leaving without Luna. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to them…”

Ignis watched Noctis as the prince looked up at him and upon seeing the fiery determination on his face knew he would not be able to dissuade him. “Alright.” Ignis said. “I told Prompto to go to the library. I thought Luna would be there. Gladio is just down the hall.”

Noctis nodded, in hindsight the library would be the first place Luna would be this late at night. Once sure Noctis was ready they left the room. The sound of more gunfire echoed behind them and Noctis immediately rushed down the hall, Ignis calling him before following him.

Noctis could easily be told he was not thinking, in truth he probably wasn’t. All he knew was that gunfire meant bad things and that his friends and Luna were in danger. So when he turned the corner and saw more soldiers he did not hesitate to draw his sword and hurl it at the nearest one. He could feel his body be pulled along as he warped in front of the soldier. It was almost like he was on autopilot as he let the blade vanish in favor of his lance which he struck the soldier right through. He saw the man’s horrified face as the weapon pierced his armor and stomach. The weapon then vanish leaving him to collapse on the floor and Noctis turned his attention to the other soldier. He struck that one as well, hurling him into the wall as Ignis finished off another.

Gladiolus was nearby, that’s what Ignis had said, just another corner to turn and that was where he was supposed to be. Except when Noctis made that turn he did not see Gladiolus. Instead he felt arms grab him and slam his head into the wall. Noctis tried to pull them off but his head was spinning from the hit and he could taste blood dripping from his nose. He got a brief glimpse at them as he struggled against them. A brief glimpse at their black hair and bright green eyes.

“Highness!” He heard Ignis call his name and finding some strength pushed the woman off him and moved away to give his advisor an opening to attack. Ignis did so moving close and matching her strike for strike. Aurora was good with knives, and it became clear that she was very well trained. She moved gracefully out of the way before kicking herself off the wall and maneuvering around him. She was not concerned with the royal advisor so much as she was with her target, the crown prince of Lucis. And so just as he tried to summon his sword Aurora grabbed his arm and twisted it around him, then before he could warp out of her grasp took the taser tied to her belt and jammed it into his neck.

Noctis screamed a loud bloodcurdling scream as the electricity ran through him. It was only a few seconds but it felt like an eternity and when she pulled it away his body twitched violently before falling limp in her arms. Ignis had frozen in horror but regaining himself ready to lunge at the young woman only stopping when she held him in front of her like a shield.

“Uh uh, I wouldn’t,” She said adjusting Noctis so that she had a tight grip on his hair and a knife on his exposed neck. “One wrong move and there goes Lucis’ only hope.”

“You’re bluffing.” Ignis said.

“Am I?” Aurora asked keeping the knife close to Noctis neck. She gently pushed the tip against his pale skin and Ignis could see a drop of blood seep onto the blade. He watched her face and body for any signs that could tell him that she was bluffing but couldn’t find anything. “Put the knives down.” She said. Ignis glared at her, but did as instructed.

“Let him go.” Ignis said.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Aurora said and smiled as she saw more soldiers approach. “Restrain him.” She said and Ignis glared at the soldiers as they grabbed him and forced him to the ground. “Your prince is coming with me. Idola wants his help with a little project.” She said taking a few steps back. “You’re lucky I’m in a bit of a hurry. Don’t try and follow, or I will kill him.”

That was the last thing Ignis heard before Aurora nodded to one of the soldiers. The man hit the advisor hard over the head knocking him out.

* * *

“He’s over here! Iggy? Hey Iggy wake up!”

His head was killing him and the loud voice was not helping, but Ignis did open his eyes to find that everything was a mess of blurs. It was then it occurred to him he was not wearing his glasses and his hand moved to try and find them. The carpet was rough and unhelpful at finding a pair of glasses that he had no idea where they were.

“Here. Looking for these?” The blur in question held up a thinner blurry object that Ignis recognized as his glasses. He took them and put them on and in seconds the world became sharper and he recognized the person kneeling near him as Gladiolus.

“Gladio.”

“Hey, welcome back.” Gladiolus said and Ignis frowned as he felt a gloved hand on his forehead. He was being treated by a healer. “She says you got hit pretty bad but no concussion.”

“My head is bloody killing me.” Ignis said sitting up, a terrible idea as everything started spinning. He held himself together and looked at Gladiolus. “Where’s Prompto and Ms. Lunafreya?”

“Medical wing. Someone stabbed Luna and Prompto called for help. She’s unconscious but she’ll pull through.” He shook his head, “To stubborn to die. Like Noct...who we can’t find.”

Ignis said nothing at first. They could not find Noctis. It occurred to him slowly why they could not find Noctis. “You won’t be able to, our highness is not in the palace.” Ignis muttered, “He’s been taken.”

Gladiolus stared at Ignis for a long while before speaking again. “You’re going to have to run that by me again. What do you mean, taken? Don’t tell me he was-”

Ignis said nothing, but nodded letting Gladiolus worst fears sink in. He stayed silent as the atmosphere of the room became tense and again did nothing when he heard Gladiolus swear loudly and punch a hole in the wall. There was nothing he could do, nothing that could be done. Noctis was gone. A prisoner to Niflheim.

 


	3. Playing with Dolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis wakes to find himself a scientists toy. Ignis and Gladiolus begin planning to put a rescue together....with poor results. Luna regains consciousness at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the title because reasons.
> 
> Note: Let me know if you see any spacing issues. I normally upload using google chrome but was having problems getting chrome to work so I uploaded from firefox instead, which seems more picky about spacing...but keeps my formatting more often. lol

It was not the worst he felt in his life but as Noctis stirred and found every part of his body sore, he was sure it would rank high on the list. His head was pounding, when he opened his eyes his vision was spinning, and he felt very tired. If he had been sleeping it was not a restful sleep, he remembered having horrible nightmares but everything else was a blur. His head was lying on something hard and it slowly came to him that he was lying on a brick floor. His wrists were bound and when he tried to pull on the binding’s he felt something sharp and rough against his skin. It took him only a few more seconds to realize they were handcuffs.

His first thought was that Prompto was playing some kind of trick on him, but he slowly realized that could not have been the case. Brick floor aside his ankles were bound too. Prompto liked playing jokes but would never do anything that could get him seriously hurt.

Noctis tried to take in his surroundings. He shivered a little as his body realized it was cold, and as he looked around he recognized it as the confines of a prison cell. Dark except for a dim light, dirty, and cold, like someone was blasting the air conditioning. He frowned wondering where he was when his ears began to pick up the sound of footsteps. They were nearby and getting louder with each second. Someone was coming his way and he closed his eyes again when he heard the sound of a metal door open and footsteps enter the room.

“He’s still asleep ma’am.”

“Still?”

Aurora stepped into the room behind the soldier and stared at the prince in question. She frowned when he saw he was still sleeping. He had been asleep four hours ago when they checked on him, and even four hours before then. Filius had mentioned the prince’s sleeping habits offhand once, but even she found it hard to believe that he had not woken up once in the past eighteen hours.

She turned her attention to the guard. “Wake him up, it’d be rude of him to sleep through his meeting with Lord Aldercapt.” She glanced over to the sleeping prince when she noticed his breathing change slightly. Perhaps he was not as asleep as he appeared.

The soldier did not notice and leaned over ready to shake the prince to life. The moment his hand was on the boy’s shoulder Noctis eyes snapped open and he kicked the soldier in the stomach. His ankles may have been bound but that did not mean he was completely immobile. He tried to get himself to his feet to tackle the guard but Aurora was faster, she grabbed him and knocked him off balance and back onto the floor. “You move again and I’ll break your leg.”

“Don’t think Idola will like that.” Noctis said watching her face and trying to see if she was serious or if it was just an empty threat. Not that it mattered, the woman got off him and pulled him to his feet. She then shoved him into the wall.

“You’re probably right, but I don’t think he’ll mind me roughing you up just a little.” She said then punched him hard in the face. Noctis’ head collided with the wall making him see stars and the room spin a bit before he was grabbed again by the soldier and escorted out of the cell. He almost lost his balance from being dizzy and his bindings made it a hard to move. If he had been walking down one of Lucis’ streets instead of being escorted from a prison cell someone could have easily mistaken him for being drunk.

Aurora stayed behind the two soldiers walking by Noctis’ side in case the prince tried anything. He did not, because as he walked the hall and noted how well guarded the area was, he realized that the chances of him being able to make some kind of escape were nonexistent. He had no idea where he was anyway and he doubted he would get an answer. He was still not to sure how he had gotten where he was, but it was starting to come back to him and a strong realization made him almost freeze in place.

Gladious, Ignis, Prompto...Luna. As he thought of their names and their faces entered his mind he tried to think about what could have happened to them. He had been with Ignis before his world had gone dark, but had no idea what could have happened to him. The worst that came to mind was they were killed, but he would have seen their deaths in his dreams.

Were they captured as well? Maybe they were alive and trying to find him. Just thinking that made him wonder where he even was, but the mention of Idola Aldercapt brought to him a few possible answers. And he had a feeling in his stomach that he would get his answer soon.

He was right. As he was led down the twisting confusing hallways he soon found himself being brought to a large room. The room was well lit, mostly bathed in light green, as the color stretched to all parts of the room. As he was walked in his eyes widened as he gazed upon the source of the light, emanating from the center of the room. A crystal.

Not just any crystal, the Lucis crystal in all its glory right in front of him. He stared at it almost as though he were drawn to it. He was not the only one, he drew his eyes away from the crystal to an old man robed in white, his back turned to Noctis as he looked at the crystal. Noctis glared at him as he was stopped by the soldiers.

“Beautiful isn’t it.” The man said and turned to face him. Noctis recognized him right away. “Lucis’ pride and joy. Her source of power.”

Noctis said nothing just glared at Idola Aldercapt, Niflheim’s King or Emperor, whatever title he was going under these days. The old man’s presence along with the presence of the crystal, told Noctis everything he needed to know. He was in enemy territory, Niflheim. He knew he would have to enter the country eventually, he just never expected himself to be a war prisoner in it.

Idola continued to speak. “And now I have it’s second most prized possession. The crown prince, chosen by the crystal itself. It’s an honor Noctis Caelum.”

Noctis wished he was closer. He would have spat in Idola’s face. “Yeah, what an honor. I finally get the chance to - argh!”

Aurora had hit Noctis in the head to silence him. Idola watched amused. “Still got a bit of a tongue on you. Your father and fiance’s deaths have done little to dampen your spirit.”

Noctis stayed silent, but glared at him before his eyes fell on the crystal and the scientists in the room. Many were hurrying about ignoring the scene in front of them. Some looked over but quickly turned away to continue their work. He looked back at Idola who still had that smug look on his face. “You’ve changed a little since I last saw you. You look less like a prince and more like a street rat. I take it travel has been difficult for you? Your father would be-”

“Don’t you dare say anything about my father!” Noctis yelled soldier’s grabbing his shoulders as he moved closer. “You have no right to say anything about him, you cold hearted bastard.” Again Noctis tried to pull out of the soldier’s grasp but they held on forcing him to his knees. “I swear on my life as Lucis’ prince I will kill you. I will make you pay for what you did to my father! What you did to my country!”

There was a brief flicker from the crystal as Noctis eyes flashed from their normal blue to a bright red. Anyone else would have taken a few steps back, but Idola just watched amused by the prince’s outburst.

“You’re passionate, that’s good. An admirable trait.” Idola said. “But right now you're going to be of more use to my country.” Idola turned away from the prince for a second and Noctis tried to lunge for him only to be held back by the soldiers. “Are preparations ready?” He asked a man nearby.

“Cyrus says everything is good to go.”

Idola looked back at him. “I don’t know what you’ve been doing the past few months Noctis, but my people have been trying to study your crystal and have come up with little information. Unfortunately there’s no one from Lucis who's willing to help us learn about it. Until now.”

“I’ll never tell you anything about the crystal.” Noctis said.

“You will. Even if you don’t say anything directly we’ll learn everything we can about it just from how it takes care of you. You’ve been bound to the crystal for years now right? Surely it’s influenced your body in some way, besides making you want to sleep all the time.” Idola said then looked at the soldiers. “Take him to Cyrus, do everything he asks.” He then brought his attention back to Noctis. “Enjoy your stay in Niflheim, Prince of Lucis.”

Noctis was silent, fury flaring up in him as he saw Idola casually walk away. He wasted no time, he drew magic from the crystal and in one swift motion threw a fire spell at the soldier near him. The spell missed easily because of how his restraints limited his movement but it was enough to get the soldier to move away and Noctis jumped up hitting the other soldier with his head and flipped the other over his back. He turned to rush Idola but he forgot Aurora was behind him and the woman easily kicked his legs out under him. His fell rough on his stomach the handcuffs cutting into his wrists as Aurora pinned him down.

“My Lord I don’t think he’s going to be very cooperative.”

“As expected.” Idola said. He sounded amused by Noctis’ attempt to fight back. “Handle him however you like, I’m sure your brother will understand as long as we give him a living body.”

Aurora nodded and pulled her taser out. She set it to Noctis’ neck and shot him with it. The prince screamed as his body flailed from the volts of electricity going through his body, eyes wide as pain overtook him. When she stopped his body went limb. Aurora put her fingers near his mouth, then checked his pulse to make sure he was still breathing. He was. Good. She carefully lifted him up and had one of the soldiers carrying him down the hall. Unconscious the prince looked like he was sleeping even though just seconds ago he was in so much pain he was probably wishing Etro would take him in her arms.

Aurora walked over to the room Cyrus was using for his preparations and opened the door. “Hey, I brought you a little present.” She said and Cyrus turned to her a smile on his face that changed into a frown when he saw the man in question.

“I thought he was going to be conscious.”

“He’s very uncooperative, so I smacked him around a bit. His majesty said you would understand.” She said. Cyrus was a man a little taller than her, with nicely kept black hair and bright green eyes. Smart and brilliant, but detached from most things and only really showing care to those he was close too.

Cyrus walked over and took a quick look at him cupping his chin with his fingers first and then moving said fingers down Noctis arm and to his wrists. He noted the light bits of blood from where the handcuffs cut into his wrists as well as some bruising on his face. However the injuries were not as interesting as the prince’s general appearance which Cyrus pondered with curiosity.

“Interesting.” He said.

“What is?” Aurora asked.

“He looks so human.” Cyrus said. “And this is not some kind of illusion? This is really what he looks like?”

“Yes. Well his face is normally prettier.” Aurora said and Cyrus chuckled a little.

“I’m sure it is.” He said scanning him again with his eyes and Aurora could not help but feel a little confused. Cyrus was brilliant but that made him a little hard to read. It was as though he was expecting them to bring him some kind of monster or something. The scientist nodded and went over to his desk, scribbling some notes in his notebook and then turned on his monitors.

“I have last minute preparations to make so this works in my favor. Now one of you,” he turned his attention to the soldiers, “strip him of his clothes and place him on the table. Remember to keep him restrained, I don’t want him moving to much when he wakes up.”

The soldiers nodded and proceeded to do as commanded while Aurora watched over the scene. She smiled, today was the beginning of a bright future.

* * *

 Prompto sighed and kicked the hospital floor. He felt miserable and waiting was not helping.

They all had been given jobs immediately after the attack. Gladiolus was aiding some of Altissia’s military in doing background checks on their soldiers. They were trying to make sense of what happened last night and figure out if there were still Niflheim soldier’s hiding in there ranks. Ignis said he would try and get a meeting together with the Altissian circle, and get their assistance in organizing a rescue mission.

Meanwhile Prompto was pacing back and forth outside the medical ward of a nearby hospital. Not the castle’s medical ward, Ignis demanded that Luna be treated somewhere else. After learning the interior of the castle had been compromised, he did not want to risk an assassin hiding among the palace healers getting to her. Prompto had gone with her to keep her company, but he had been shaking when he climbed into the ambulance. Now he was pacing in the middle of a hallway waiting for some news.

So far he had heard nothing.

On a normal day Prompto would be inclined to think of no news as good news. It meant a day of shopping or going out the clubs in the evening. A day where Prompto and Gladiolus would play Prompto’s PS4 and Noctis would either join them or doze on the bed as Ignis played with his phone.

However today was not a normal day. Noctis was not there, and Ignis and Gladiolus were trying to do what they could to prepare to bring him back. Prompto had been tasked with taking care of Luna, even though at the moment there was little he could do. She had been asleep all night and well into the day. The healers told Prompto that was normal, she had lost a lot of blood and her body needed to rest. Potions could only so so much to help the healing process when blood loss was a factor. So Prompto continued to pace occasionally looking into his friend’s room.

Maybe he could distract himself by trying to find a bad film online. Luna and him liked watching bad movies together, it had been a mutual passion the two found they shared on a day neither of them had nothing to do, and Ignis, Gladiolus, and Noctis were busy with other things. But even as he started searching he sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t focus, his mind kept crawling back to his worries and made him jump on his heels.

He stopped pacing when a healer stepped out of the room. “She’s awake, but please be-”

Prompto immediately pushed the healer aside and entered the room. Luna was sitting up in the bed looking at her fingers before looking up at him. “Prompto?” She asked her eyes unfocused since she just woke up.

“Yeah Luna it’s me.” Prompto said. He pulled up a chair and took a seat next to the bed. “Are you okay?”

“I think so.” Luna said. Her gaze dropped to her stomach and she pulled up her nightgown a little to see her wound. There was a bandage over her stomach where she was stabbed, gauze wrapped around her to keep it in place. Aurora must have planned for her to die slowly of blood loss since the stab itself did not any major organs. The young girl stared at the spot touching her fingers to the bandage, wincing as she put a little pressure on it. She could already imagine the scar that was going to form as the injury continued to heal, but scars faded away with time and proper treatment. This one would be no exception.

She pulled her nightgown back down and looked back at Prompto who had turned away out of respect for her decency. The blonde looked back when she spoke. “Prompto, please tell me what happened. Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah for the most part.” Prompto said and the tone in his voice troubled her, “Gladio managed to capture someone. He looks pretty high profile; trenchcoat, hat, purplish hair, carries himself like he’s a big deal. Ignis is trying to get some business done but I don’t know how well that’s going, it sounds like everyone was pretty shaken from the attack.”

“What about Noct?” Luna asked and Prompto looked down, unable to meet her gaze. She could see mixed emotions on his face. Guilt, anger, disappointment. Disappointment in himself. She put a hand on his shoulder making him jump a little. “Prompto, please tell me what happened. Is Noct okay?”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath feeling horrible. “Noct was kidnapped.” The air between the two had gone silent. “I’m sorry Luna. I only heard it second hand. Ignis had me go find you, then I came here when the ambulance arrived. I don’t know anything else that has happened and no one’s told me any news.”

“Then we’ll just have to go back and find out what happened.” Luna said and Prompto looked up to see her pushing her bedsheets off and trying to move herself off the bed. She winced and grabbed her side.

“Whoa easy there! You’re still hurt. You should be resting.” Prompto said putting hands on her shoulders to steady her but did not stop her from standing up.

“I’ll rest later.” Luna said forcing the words out as her body ached from moving. She looked up at Prompto. “Please take me back to the castle, I need to speak with the court. If Noct is Niflheim’s prisoner, Idola has won this war.”

“But Luna-”

“Prompto please. We don’t know what Idola is going to do to him.” She said. There was a look of determination that told him she would not be swayed. Prompto sighed knowing that there was no way he would be able to talk Luna out of not going. She was stubborn and determined just like Noctis. He looked her over and stopped his face turning bright red.

“Okay. But…” He hesitated looking away in embarrassment.

“What’s wrong?” Luna asked.

“Just...I don’t think it’s a good idea to go out in your pajamas?”

Luna looked at him confused then down at herself. Her face turned bright red as she remembered she was dressed in her nightgown. Her very short nightgown that just barely covered her bottom. Her legs and underwear were almost completely exposed. She jumped and dove back into bed, covering herself with the blankets. She had moved so fast that it was almost amazing she had not aggravated her injury.

“Can you call someone from the castle to bring me some clothes?” She asked her face still bright pink from embarrassment. Prompto didn’t even hesitate, he dialed a number and turned away bouncing a little as he waited for someone to pick up the phone.

* * *

 Ignis was not one to punch walls when he was angry. He liked to express his anger more eloquently than by doing something that would not risk breaking his hand, but as he hung up the phone for the tenth time that evening he was beginning to think that a broken hand would be easier to handle than the politics of Accordo. Granted politics were always difficult, but getting an audience in the evening after the castle was attacked was beginning to be frustrating.

‘We’ll discuss it in the morning.’ ‘I have personal business, we’ll talk in the morning.’ Morning, morning, morning. They should have met the moment after the incident, but instead the government was more interested in letting the soldiers and military sort out what happened and do clean up. Apparently it was too dangerous for them to be in the vicinity, but they would regroup when it was safe. Now it was evening and they insisted on waiting until the next day because it was ‘too late to conduct business’.

The longer they delayed the harder it would be to find the prince and he did not want to think about what could happen if they stalled for too long. Ignis rubbed the bridge of his nose, he would not be able to forgive himself if anything happened to his friend.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, more a warning knock then anything as the door immediately opened afterward. Gladiolus entered the room, closing the door behind him. Ignis noted he looked worn out. None of them had slept since one in the morning. The only one that probably got any sleep was Prompto, but when Ignis remembered how the blonde was a bundle of nerves when he left the hospital he sincerely doubted his friend got any sleep.

The bodyguard had a stack of paper in his hand but it was forgotten about when he took one look at Ignis’ face and frowned.

“Not going well I take it.”

“No, it’s not.” Ignis said leaning back in his chair. “And you?”

“We checked the backgrounds of all the soldiers and caught three Niflheim spies that were not caught last night.” Gladiolus said. There was a scowl on his face. “I’m not impressed with this so called top of the line security. The backgrounds were filled with holes, and no one noticed?”

“Accordo has gotten complacent over the years. This kingdom used to be one of the safest in the world. At one point it was safer than Lucis. Now…” Ignis stopped not having the desire to finish that sentence but both he and Gladiolus were thinking the same thing. The security in the castle was a joke. He sighed. “I suppose I’ll be preparing my arguments for tomorrow.”

“What are the chances they’ll throw you under the bus?”

“Well hopefully now that they know Niflheim is not a potential ally they’ll aid us in a future invasion. However right now I’m more concerned with them assisting in a rescue mission.” Ignis said.

“And the chances of them doing that?” Gladiolus asked.

Ignis did not answer, but in reality he had a feeling that they would be on there own. And if that was the case so be it, he had a good feeling that at this rate the three of them working alone could do more than anything that Accordo could help them with. The only problem was knowing where to start looking. He turned his head back to Gladiolus. “Any word regarding our prisoner?”

“No. Apparently the man refuses to speak without his lawyer.” Gladiolus said. He then sighed leaning forward as he sat on the bed. He looked exhausted. “I can’t believe this happened. I…” Gladiolus found himself unable to form the words but he was thinking it loud and clear. He felt like a failure, a failure as a bodyguard and a failure as a friend. He had always been there for Noctis, ever since the young man was a small boy, Gladiolus was there playing the role of bodyguard and big brother.

Now when Noctis needed him most he was unable to protect him. Even worse, Noctis had been trying to find him in the chaos, that was why he had not been out of the castle and was instead fighting. He could blame Noctis stubbornness - and yes that was a factor - but Gladiolus could not shake the feeling that if he had been a little stronger and a little faster Noctis would still be with them. The young prince would probably be resting in a bed because of exhaustion, but at least they would know he was safe.

“I was with him. This is more my fault than anything.” Ignis said.

“No it’s not.” Gladiolus said then sighed. “Passing blame is not going to get us anywhere.”

“...You’re right. Noctis would not want us pointing fingers to each other.” Ignis said. He looked at the paper in front of him and found himself having trouble concentrating. He was beginning to feel very tired, but he could not go to sleep yet, he needed to get things ready for tomorrow. His phone vibrated and he looked at it. Prompto was calling. He answered it.

“Yes Prom?” He asked pausing when Prompto spoke over the phone. He put his ear on the mouthpiece and looked at Gladiolus. “Ms. Lunafreya’s awake.” He said.

“Really? Oh thank Etro.” Gladiolus said feeling as though a small weight fell off his shoulder. One less person to worry about. Ignis returned to the call and Gladiolus saw him frown before speaking.

“No. I don’t want Lunafreya back in the castle, we still don’t know if we’re completely safe. Take her to a nearby hotel and stay with her, bring her to the castle in the morning.” He paused as he heard Prompto tell Luna what he had just told the chocobo blonde man. He heard some arguing before Luna agreed to it. “I’ll let you know in the morning what’s going on. Just please do not leave your rooms unless you have too.”

“Yeah...okay.” He heard Prompto said. Ignis was silent for a little while and then ended the call. He went back to his blank piece of paper. He was expecting a long night.

“You should get some sleep Gladio.”

“And you?”

“Give me a few hours. I’ll turn in before ten o’clock” Ignis said. Gladiolus shrugged, kicked off his shoes, and lay himself on the bed. The silence that followed soon gave way to his friends snoring, which Ignis was long used to and knew how to ignore. Ignis wrote down his notes and tried to put his speech together but after a half hour realized he was far more tired than he realized. So he set his pen down and set his alarm for five in the morning before lying down on his bed. Sleep came to him faster than it ever had in his life.

* * *

 

It was not the horrible headache that woke Noctis up. Nor was it the feeling of someone’s fingers on his skin. Instead the awful cold he felt that made him shiver and pull against something holding him down.

“Ah looks like you're finally coming around.” A voice got his attention and with a lot of effort Noctis opened his eyes to see a face framed in black hair and piercing green eyes. His first thought was that it was Aurora, but the face and voice were to masculine. He looked almost exactly like her. A sibling maybe, or just a coincidence. Noctis did not know, and if he was honest with himself he really did not care. All he knew was that it was cold, this man’s fingers were pushing on parts of his stomach, and it made him uncomfortable. He tried to move only to realize his arms were restrained, as were his legs, by thick leather bindings wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

“How are you feeling?” The man asked.

“About as good as anyone else being held against their will.” Noctis said. Despite the agony he was in he still had his attitude. The man smiled amused by his answer as he put some pressure on his stomach. Noctis winced but kept his eyes on the person. “Mind telling me what the hell you’re doing?”

“Standard physical exam.” He said, “I already checked your heart, blood pressure, and lungs while you were out, and was just checking the rest of your organs through palpation. Everything seems to be in order, you're a healthy little thing despite your rampant illnesses.”

“How do you-”

“It’s amazing what you can find out about a person on the internet.” The man said. Noctis said nothing, but it was a reasonable answer. His constant illnesses during childhood made national and international headlines. “Oh I should introduce myself. I’m Cyrus, head of the research group studying the crystal. I worked as a healer previously which is why you are in my care.”

Cyrus. Noctis looked at the man and frowned at his smile. There was something extremely disturbing about that smile. Noctis shivered a little in the cold and looked down at himself. His eyes widened as he noticed that besides his boxers he had completely stripped of his clothes and there were wires with suction cup like things attached to his chest. “I thought you’d want to keep some of your dignity, not that dignity will matter while you're down here.” Cyrus said turning away and looking through his things.

Noctis watched him then looked at the window behind to see the crystal glowing brightly in another room. He closed his eyes to draw power from the crystal only to stop when he realized something was wrong. He felt horribly dizzy when he tried to draw power from it, the magic did not seem to want to stay with him, vanishing into the air out of his grasp. He stopped trying to catch his breath and looked at Cyrus as the man placed a damp piece of cotton against the soft of his elbow. The smell of disinfectant reached Noctis nose making him cringe.

“I do admit I am quite excited about this research project.” Cyrus said as he moved the cotton and wiped Noctis arm with a small cloth. “We’re very interested in learning about the crystal, but I admit I’m also curious about you. It’s not often you see someone chosen by the crystal, bound to it’s will, granted power by the gods that govern us. You’re interesting creature worth studying.”

“I think I get why you're a former healer.” Noctis said glaring at the man who looked a little confused.

“I think you must be mistaken. I left the practice because it was unfulfilling. It’s difficult watching people in your care die because your country doesn’t have enough resources to save them.” Cyrus said picking up a syringe with a strange purple colored liquid in it. “Now hold still.”

Noctis did not feel like obeying this person, he pulled on his restraints only to find that he was bound so tight he could barely move. His wrists ached under the leather bindings and his fingers felt numb. He closed his eyes as he felt the needle be pushed into his skin and his body tensed as he felt something be injected into him. He opened his eyes looking at Cyrus and within seconds his vision started swimming. His body began to feel hot and he started breathing harder as sweat formed on his forehead. He suddenly became aware of the sound of beeping. A heart monitor.

“Begin taking readings.” Cyrus said and slowly Noctis began to feel a heavy sensation wash over him. He was barely aware of the fact the crystal began to glow brighter and more aware of the magic he began to feel course through him. His breath hitched and became rougher as he felt it trying to counteract whatever this Cyrus person had put into his body. He first felt hot, his skin felt like it was on fire, and then a cool sensation washed over him making him shiver. It felt like ice had been put on his chest.

He opened his eyes and looked at Cyrus. The man took down some notes and looked at his monitors. Noctis pushed against his restraints before collapsing on the table gasping for breath. He could feel the crystals magic breaking apart whatever was inside him little by little. He was barely aware of Cyrus saying something as he tried to relax and focus on his breathing, try and ignore the aching in his body as it healed itself of whatever it was the mad man watching him had injected him with. So he almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his arm.

“Impressive. You're already healing.” He said, “That injection was a weak strain of goblin poison. Not fatal in human adults, but painful and can last for hours. However because of your bond to the crystal it’s clearing it up in about fifteen minutes.”

Noctis moved his head, it felt longer than fifteen minutes. His body might have been fighting it off quickly but that did not mean he was one hundred percent. He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him as the magic vanish from his body, and he took several labored breaths. He felt like going to sleep, but he knew he would not be getting the chance. Cyrus was filling a new syringe with liquid, one that was bright purple and almost seemed to glow.

“Let’s see how you handle this.” The man said pushing the needle into Noctis skin.

“Don’t think...Idola wants you to kill me.” Noctis said.

“You’re right he doesn’t. At least not until we finish learning all we can about the crystal from you.” Cyrus said a frown on his face as he injected the poison into Noctis body. “I have an antidote on standby just in case, so don’t worry. You’re in good hands.”

Noctis barely heard the man’s words as he felt the poison run through him. The effect was immediate, he started to sweat profusely and his heart rate sped up. He began to feel dizzy trying to steady his breathing which only made him more uncomfortable. He pulled a little at his restraints, his wrists were starting to hurt, and his legs ached as his knees locked up on him.

Cyrus noted how Noctis face became pale and his eyes changed to a gold color as the crystal lit up with life again. Noctis could feel the cold magic start to flow through him, the crystal doing what it could to try and save his life. But the magic felt weaker, he felt weaker, and exhausted as he the magic began trying to eat away at the poison. He coughed violently and felt the taste of iron on his tongue and lips.

His vision bubbled as the world around him spun before blacking out. What brought him back was the sound of a voice and the sensation of someone running their fingers through his hair. His first thought was that it was Ignis or Prompto or Luna trying to wake him up. It could not have been Gladiolus because Gladiolus usually shook him or pulled him into a sitting position. He felt sweaty, he must have been having a bad dream. A nightmare.

It had to have been a nightmare. That was it, he was just having a bad dream and his friends were trying to wake him up. That was it, nothing more, nothing less. Just a bad dream that he would wake up from, and after a few minutes of talking to his friends, Prompto would curl up under the blankets next to him and soothe him back to sleep. Or he would go back to Luna’s room and cuddle up next to her, arm around her waist, and wake up late the next day.

Except when he opened his eyes he felt dread and panic when he was not greeted by blonde hair but by black hair, piercing green eyes, and a smiling face that seemed less concerned for him and more amused by the fact he passed out. He was not dreaming. What was happening to him right now was very real. The man was watching him, playing with his hair as he roused to wakefulness.

“Welcome back.” He said still smiling. “You passed out. I was almost worried I’d need to administer an antidote but the crystal did it’s job. Quite amazing really, most humans wouldn’t be able to survive something that potent.”

Cyrus put the syringes in the trash and the vials away. Noctis noticed he had several different things on his shelf, some poisons, some drugs. A few Noctis recognized from Ignis medical textbooks as well as his experiences with healers.

“Then again I suppose I should have higher expectations.” Cyrus continued. He had stopped smiling as though he was in serious contemplation, as he grabbed a box from the shelf. “You aren’t like most humans. Actually since you are blessed by the crystal your humanity can certainly be called into question. Some stories say that those blessed by the crystal give up their humanity in exchanged for it’s power. What do you think? Do you think those stories are true?”

Noctis said nothing just glared at the scientist in front of him. He did not have the energy to speak and he could feel his connection with the crystal was weaker. His body felt cold now that it was covered in sweat and his eyes kept trying to close on him. Cyrus wrapped the bandage around the injection site to keep the wound clean. In a dirty place like the prison cells it would be easy to get an infection. He had also noticed Noctis silence.

“Not much of a conversation maker are you.” He said. Noctis was again silent. “Well I suppose you’re a little tired. I’ll have some guards take you back to your room.”

Again Noctis was quiet, he had no energy to reply, and no energy to fight back, so his body lay limp. Guards came in seconds after Cyrus summoned them, almost as though they had been outside the whole time, and he felt his restraints be removed from his ankles before being put back in cuffs. They did the same to his arms then pulled him to his feet and shoved him out of the room. He stumbled exhausted as he was led back to his cell and was practically thrown in, the doors closed behind him. He had fallen onto the floor and curled up shivering from the cold.

Gladiolus. Prompto. Luna. Ignis. He wondered where they were, and how much longer it would be until he could see them again.


	4. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyrus continues his research. Luna and Prompto are waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing revealed during Gamescom or revealed after will have an effect on this story. Just pointing it out there ~_^
> 
> A bit later than I planned to put up but I ran into a few last minute issues with this chapter and wanted to polish it up a little more.

 

It was early in the morning when Gladiolus walked down to dungeons of Altissia’s castle. They were dark, devoid of sunlight due to being underground, but the weak artificial lights that were installed decades ago were enough to help him see where he was going. He walked with a sense of purpose and also with a need to vent some frustrations that had built up during the week.

The royal court was screwing over Ignis. Third time over the past week. He could tell when the royal advisor stepped out of the room and saw the frustrated look on his face. Luna had not  looked happy either, the girl was rubbing her temples like a headache was forming as Prompto left with her back to the hotel. They were frustrated, and Prompto was becoming anxious with worry, the blonde man had been hopping up and down when Ignis was updating them on the continued lack of movement.

Another day of stalling from Accordo meant another day Noctis was in danger or worse. Gladiolus had decided he needed to take matters into his own hands. So when he walked down to the dungeons and was greeted by soldiers, he told them to leave because things were going to get ugly. They listened.

Gladiolus stopped in front of one cell, the one holding the man he had subdued the night the palace was attacked. Gladiolus looked him over, the man looked messy and dirty from the lack of a shower, but he still held a strong presence. And as he looked up and saw Gladiolus face, a smirk formed on his own. He seemed amused by the bodyguards presence. Like him being there was a big joke.

“You’re not my lawyer.” The man said. Gladiolus had learned his name was Litus, one of the Niflheim spies had been kind enough to offer that information to them. He was apparently a big deal in Idola’s circle, a former soldier that had worked his way up the social ladder through his charisma and ability to get the job done. If Idola wanted something done, Litus was the man to get it done, and get it done well. Catching him was supposed to feel like a victory, but something was off. The man seemed a bit too calm, almost like he was waiting for someone to slip up so he could make a move.

For now though he seemed content to just sit tight and play with everyone. “I’m pretty sure I told your friends I wouldn’t talk without my lawyer.” Litus said. He was playing a game. Galdiolus was not in the mood to play games.

“I don’t think any lawyer is going to take your case.” Gladiolus said. “What lawyer would want to be stuck defending the guy who tried to infiltrate the castle and kill a political figure?”

“And succeeded might I add.” Litus said, paused, then added, “With the infiltration part, not the killing part. Although I did kill a few people. No one special, just a few soldiers and maids. Not my best work I admit it, but everyone makes mistakes. We’re only human after all.”

Gladiolus opened the jail cell and stepped in which piqued Litus amusement. “Oh my, we’re serious. No one has actually walked into this cell all week. Not that I can blame them, it’s disgusting in here.”

“Well it’s going to get a whole lot worse if you don’t talk.” Gladiolus said. “You had a friend helping you on the inside right? A girl with black hair?”

“I know a lot of girls with black hair, you're going to need to be a little more specific.” Litus said the smirk never leaving his face. Gladiolus glared at him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt lifting him to his feet and pushing him into the wall. Litus made a small noise as his head hit the concrete.

“You know who I’m talking about.”

“Aurora?” Litus asked. He was still smiling. “Must be Aurora, fine ass lady that one. Which also means your little prince boy is MIA. Am I warm?”

“Where did she take the crown prince?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Litus said giving out a low chuckle. “And you expect me to tell you? To just spill my guts because your pinning me to a wall?” Litus’ question was answered with a fist colliding with his stomach. He coughed feeling a metallic taste on his tongue, but as he recomposed himself best he could he just laughed. “Oh that’s rich. A guy asks an innocent question and you’re response is to punch him in the stomach. That’s funny. No really it’s funny.”

“I’ll only ask again, where did Aurora take Noct?”

When Litus managed to recompose himself he did not answer. Instead he just looked at Gladiolus with a look of pure glee on his face, not scared of what the bodyguard could do to him. He just looked amused.

“You’re just hoping I sing like a canary aren’t you.” He said, then for a split second the playful demeanor dropped. “You can do whatever you want to me, but I won’t tell you anything. I’ve been working for Idola for years. I’ve been in situations worse than this, one’s that would have you begging for death. So go ahead, do your worst.”

“You don’t want me to do my worst.” Gladiolus warned him. The man let a grin form back on his face and Gladiolus slowly realized that Litus was not taking him seriously at all.

“I dare you to.” He said. Gladiolus scowled and without warning punched the man hard in the face. Blood splattered from his nose and mouth and while at first Litus looked angry, his face calmed and his spat whatever red liquid was left in his mouth onto the floor. “Not bad.”

Not bad. Gladiolus punching him in the face was just ‘not bad.’ The bodyguard found himself wondering for a second just what this man had been through while working for Idola. Litus continued speaking.

“You’re still a bit on the soft side, but I’ll admit it you throw a good punch. And you have proper form, always a bonus. Most who punch like that hurt themselves because they don’t know how to place their thumb.” He said stretching out his neck. He was so calm Gladiolus had to admit it was a little terrifying. “So I think I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But first a question, how long have I been down here?”

Gladiolus did not answer.

“I gotta know how long I’ve been down here or I can’t give you any good news.”

“...You’ve been down here for six days.”

“Six days huh...well that means good news for you.” Litus said and he stopped smiling. “He’s not dead.”

Gladiolus stared at him and let go of Litus shirt, letting the man drop to the floor with a thud. “Not dead?” He repeated.

“Not dead.” Litus said wiping the blood from his mouth. “Not yet. But if Idola has his way, he’s going to be wishing for death.”

Gladiolus glared at him. He wanted to continue his interrogation, but he had a good feeling he would not get anymore information out of this man. He got something he wanted anyway, something that brought him relief but at the same time a lot of dread. Noctis was still alive, but he feared what Idola and his soldier’s could be doing to him.

* * *

 

Cyrus had to admit, today he may have gone a little overboard. Noctis was gasping for air, pulling against his restraints as his body responded unfavorably to the drug running through his body. His eyes had rolled back into his head and he had begun convulsing. Cyrus would have liked to have continued to observe Noctis while he was suffering a violent tonic clonic seizure, but three minutes of seizing was a red flag and Cyrus searched through his medical supplies for an anti-convulsant.

He administered it slowly, and though it took longer than he would have liked Noctis began to calm down. He put a hand on Noctis face then down to his neck. To Cyrus’ relief the prince still had a pulse. He then coughed violently a large amount of saliva spitting out of his mouth. Without hesitating - and ignoring that some of the spit had gotten on him -Cyrus undid his left wrist and ankle restraints and rolled him onto his side to let the rest of the spit dribble out of his mouth. The last thing Cyrus wanted was his new pet project to choke on his own drool. Idola would not be happy.

He made sure Noctis airway was not blocked and frowned as he saw realized the saliva had a reddish color to it before looking up when he heard a knock at the door. “It’s open, come in.” He said. He heard it open and then close behind him.

“What are you doing?” Aurora asked and he looked up to see her watching.

“Just making sure that our friend is still alive.” Cyrus said. Noctis was breathing loudly as though struggling to catch his breath. The young prince’s eyes cracked open and Cyrus could see that they had taken on a gold color, the same color they took whenever the crystal was trying to protect him. “Fascinating, the crystals still trying to protect him. Something must be wrong.”

Cyrus ran a hand through Noctis hair and Aurora noticed the young boy made a small high pitched noise before closing his eyes again. She noticed the red coloring dripping from his mouth and covering part of his chest.

“Did something happen?”

Cyrus did not answer right away instead taking a few paper towels to clean himself up. He then looked up at Noctis. “I think he bit his tongue. You just came in as he stopped having a seizure.” He said as he tossed the paper towels in the trash and walked back over and looked at his monitors. He wrote some things down and said something to someone over intercom, but by that point Aurora had stopped paying attention. She moved a little closer to Noctis and noted his appearance.

The prince had gotten a lot thinner over the past week. His ribs were noticeable through his skin, which was covered in bruises, some blue, some more of a yellow-green. He was still fighting against the guards before and sometimes after Cyrus did his tests. He had less muscle than when he came in, and his skin had taken on a pale color. She noticed his mouth was a little blue, then remembered Cyrus mentioned the seizure. “You sure he’s getting enough air?” She asked and Cyrus moved walked over and checked his mouth.

“Yes.” He said, then moved his hand up Noctis arm to find a vein. Aurora couldn’t help but notice he had a few needle marks on his arms.

“You’ve been busy this week. No wonder I haven’t seen you at dinner.” She said.

“I’ve been making more progress in the past - how many days has it been?”

“Seven.”

“I’ve been making more progress in the past seven days than I have in the months I’ve been studying the crystal without him.” Cyrus said. He carefully pushed the needle into Noctis arm and frowned at how skinny it was. “He is getting regular meals, right?”

“He is, but the guards are saying he’s eating very little.”

“Why?” Cyrus said, “If he keeps losing weight like this I’ll need to have him treated for malnutrition. He’s a very important specimen, does Idola want him to die?”

“Cyrus, he’s the enemy, remember?” Aurora said in a voice that made it clear that she felt like she was stating the obvious. It took Cyrus a few seconds to process the information.

“Right. Of course.” He said tone in his voice telling her he was not happy with the reminder, then turned his attention back to the needle he had stuck in Noctis arm. He drew the blood slowly and then carefully removed the needle. He began putting the blood in a vial.

“So what exactly have you been doing to him?” She asked though she had to admit she was a little hesitant on what his answer would be.

To her relief Cyrus decided to answer simply, only giving her as much detail as she could manage to swallow. “Well this past week I’ve been observing how the crystal handles attacks on his body. I administered various types of poisons and drugs to him over the week and wrote down the effects. There’s also this…” He said moving his right arm and Aurora shuddered as she saw what looked like a partly healed burn wound run from his fingers down to just below his wrist.

“Did you-”

“No, it happened during a scuffle with a guard.” Cyrus said, “Allegedly Noctis tried attack him with fire and lost control of the spell. I let the crystal do the work of treating his wound. It’s quite diligent, but it leaves him very worn out afterward. The fatigue combine with the wrong mix of drugs I believe caused the seizure...or maybe it was because the crystal was still working through him. Not sure yet.”

Cyrus ran his fingers through Noctis hair and the boy made another noise before flinching and trying to pull away. His eyes half opened and Cyrus noted that they were still gold before they closed again. Noctis moaned as his head moved almost like he was trying to get comfortable. He shivered a little and Cyrus frowned. It could not have been because he was cold, the temperature in the room was perfectly normal. “So fragile. Yet he’s quite the interesting creature.”

“Interesting word choice.” Aurora said eyebrow raised in amusement as her brother looked at her confused.

“How so?”

“He’s an ‘important specimen’ and an ‘interesting creature’.” Aurora said repeating his words to him with a small smirk on her face. “You might as well just call him a rat and call it a day.”

Cyrus frowned almost as though he had been insulted. “What else am I supposed to call him? He isn’t human and there really isn’t a word for what he is.” Cyrus said, “Those chosen by the crystal are said to transcend humanity, being gifted the power of the gods...I’m not sure whether I should be impressed or not by what I’ve seen.”

“Well in the old stories, they say those chosen by the crystal are called Agito. The savior.”

“The savior…” He pondered. “Well in a way he is going to be Niflheim’s savior. A shame for Lucis.”

“Yeah, such a shame…” Aurora dryly said. She had been unfortunate enough to not be there when Niflheim had attacked the capital city of Insomnia. She had heard the news and had been pleased to hear about Regis’ murder, but that happiness faded to anger when it was discovered his son survived the attack. Even worse when she heard Lunafreya was also a survivor. Filius claimed he had shot her, but Aurora was certain he was lying. He was never a good liar.

She remembered when Idola had given her the job to assassinate Noctis when she got to Altissia. She had been thrilled, but seeing him struggling as he was now was also satisfying. In hindsight his father had gotten off too easily, after everything Regis had done to Niflheim, a quick death had been too merciful for him. His son would suffer in his stead, playing the role of Cyrus’ plaything - a lab rat or a doll - until they unlocked the crystals power.

Afterward she had no idea what Idola would want them to do, but she hoped that she would get the chance to slash her knife across his neck.

Aurora moved a little back so that she was leaning against the wall. “I’ve heard the magitek troops have been doing a good job keeping citizens in line.”

“That’s good.” Cyrus said looking at her, “But I take it you didn’t come here to talk about our visitor.”

A smirk formed on Aurora’s face. “You know it. You’ve been working almost nonstop all week. It’s about time you came home for a day. Have some good food and sleep in a somewhat more comfortable bed.”

Cyrus said nothing at first but then smiled. “I think that would be nice.” Cyrus said. “But I’d like to take a look at these most recent readings.”

“Your charts will be here tomorrow.” Aurora said, “You keep working like this, and you’ll look like him.” She motioned to the prince in question, “You deserve to treat yourself better.”

Cyrus considered her words and sighed, “I suppose you’re right.” He said.

“The crystal will be here tomorrow. You’ll get a chance to contribute to fixing up our country then.”

He nodded and put his things away. His eyes falling on a photograph on his desk. It was of himself, Aurora, and their parents, when their parents were still alive. They had gone to the lake on a fishing trip and Aurora had pushed him into the lake off the boat. The lake in question was no longer safe due to contamination. Clean water in general was hard to come by in Niflheim because of issues after the war that had not been resolved. Idola had said the crystal would allow them to solve those problems.

Cyrus put his things on the table and stretched. “Alright, you win.”

“Always do.” Aurora said a grin on her face. “I’ll get the guards to drag that thing back to his sell, then we can get out of here.”

“Will Filius be joining us?” He asked a smirk on his face that faded when he saw Aurora’s brow crease. “I take it that’s a no?”

“Something happened at the borders, he’ll be gone for the next few days.”

“Oh…” Cyrus said, “Did he specify?”

“Monsters breaking through the east border, he didn’t give anymore details.”

“I see. It's to bad he won't be around, I would have liked to see him.”

Aurora nodded, Cyrus seemed genuinely disappointed, she felt more indifferent. She turned for the door to get the guards and meanwhile Cyrus went over to unstrap Noctis. He rolled the boy from his side to his back, noted how his chest rose and fell slowly and untied his ankle. He then untied his wrist.

The moment he did Noctis eyes snapped open and with what strength he had he threw a punch to Cyrus’ face. The man stumbled back as he felt the bony fist hit his eye and then Noctis push himself off and tackle him to the floor. He landed hard on the ground and tried to get up but somehow Noctis was faster, getting on top of him. He punched him again eyes becoming red with anger and hate, gasping for breath, and then wrapping his arms around Cyrus throat. He squeezed as hard as he could the researcher gagging as he felt his airways constricted by Noctis fingers.

“I’ll kill you.” Noctis said ignoring the dizziness and how his vision was starting to spin. All that mattered was that he choked the life out of the monster in front of him. He saw Cyrus eyes widen, his face becoming blue from lack of oxygen.

Noctis did not notice Aurora until it was too late. Something heavy smacked him in the head sending him to the floor. His grip on Cyrus was broken and the researcher moved away as Aurora grabbed Noctis and pinned him to to the floor. She had him on his stomach, and pulled his arms back to hold him. The guards followed behind, one to help her keep Noctis in place, the other checking on Cyrus who had a hand to his throat in shock.

“What happened?”

“I don’t - I thought he was still incapacitated! I-”

“You need to be more careful!” Aurora yelled at him. Noctis tried to push her off and she slammed his head into the floor. Some blood dripped from his nose and Aurora got a look at his eyes. They were bright red with anger and fury, his train of thought focused on nothing more than to take out the one person that had been causing him so much pain the whole weak. But there was another emotion hidden in them. Fear. He was afraid.

She’d give him something to be afraid of. She had the guard take on of his arms and in a split second she grabbed the other and slammed it over her leg against her knee. It snapped, the sound of the bone breaking was loud, but Noctis scream was even louder, echoing through the room and out into the area the crystal was. Almost instantly the crystal lit up with life, but Aurora was not paying attention to that. She was more focused on the pain Noctis was in. She let go of his arm letting it drop hard on the floor and grabbed him by the hair.

“You ever lay your hand on Cyrus again, and I’ll break your legs, your ribs, and make your life here even more miserable than it is now.” Her voice was cold, it clear that she had every intention to carry out her threat.

Noctis had no response, he was in so much pain he barely heard her. His body felt hot and when he tried to move his arm he cried out. It hurt so bad he just everything around him to stop. He felt cold and nauseous as he began to feel the crystals magic work in him, to try and heal the broken bone. He felt right away as the crystal did it’s work that something was wrong. The bone wasn’t set, it was not going to heal properly, but he found himself unable to say that thought out loud as dizziness and darkness overwhelmed him.

Aurora watched as Noctis’ screams quieted into small pained whimpers before becoming quiet altogether. She climbed off him and went over to her brother. “Are you okay? Let me see.” She asked. Cyrus’ eyes were still wide, as he forced himself to stop touching his throat so Aurora could see. She winced as she saw the red marks of fingers on his neck. They looked painful. “We need to get you to a healer.”

“No. I’ll be fine.” Cyrus said his voice still clear how shaken he was from the attack. He looked at Noctis, his mangled arm, then his work. “Get him...get him back on the table.”

“What?”

“I want to see what happens.” Cyrus said forcing himself to his feet trying to work himself through the shock of the attack. “I want to...to see.”

He pushed past Aurora and took a seat back at his desk. “Continue monitoring the crystal.” He said into the intercom then looked at the guards. “One of you get him back on here.”

Aurora watched the soldiers do as instructed and Cyrus moved back over to the table. He attached the wires and cups to Noctis chest and the heart monitor beeped with life. He looked back at her as a scowl formed on her face. “Aurora I want to-”

“You want to see. I know.” Aurora said walking over and taking her place next to him. His mind was made up, and she knew that he was not going to change his mind. “I’ll stay here and when you're done, I’m taking you to a healer.”

Cyrus nodded numbly. “Okay…” He said and Aurora was silent as she put a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

 

Nothing. The news had broken that there had been an attack on Altissia’s castle earlier in the week, but the writing was vague and inspecific. It listed a number of deaths and that ‘all important parties were protected and brought to safety during the incident.’ Luna frowned as she read the article, apparently Noctis was not considered an ‘important party.’ He disappearance had not been mentioned in any major news stories . Not just in news regarding Accordo but also in news regarding Niflheim. The country had not made any declarations of victory or announcements of Noctis’ capture.

The latest news regarding anything Niflheim related was an alert that patrols of magitek troops were spotted near Tenebrae’s borders. It was not the information that Luna had been looking for but it was bad news all the same. Niflheim had left Tenebrae alone for the most part, but now that they had the crystal the country seemed to be becoming more confident. She feared what Niflheim’s sudden increase in aggression meant for her people if the soldiers and airships broke through their borders.

If Niflheim unlocked the crystal’s power it would be less a matter of ‘if’ and more a matter of ‘when’ they attacked Tenebrae’s borders.

Luna sighed as she put her tablet into sleep mode and laid down on the hotel bed. She stared at the ceiling, a frown on her face. The lack of news bothered her greatly. It was not like Noctis being alive was a secret, it was suspected since they could not find his body in Lucis and announced publicly the moment he had stepped foot in Altissia. She thought Idola would have been jumping at the chance to make a public announcement that they had taken Noctis prisoner, it would have meant they had won their war against Lucis. So why it was not the top story or even an existing story made little sense.

Idola made little sense. She needed to remind herself of that.

Luna blinked and rubbed her eyes. She had been awake for two days straight so she rolled onto her side thinking that maybe a nap would help her feel a little better. Maybe she missed something because she was so tired and after a little sleep she’d find what she was looking for. So she closed her eyes, and tried to relax.

The sound of loud rumbling made her jump and it was followed by heavy rain. She looked out the window to see that a downpour had started. It had not been raining that morning, the skies had been clear, but the weather forecast did say to expect sudden showers. She smiled a little at the sight a little amused by the shift in weather. It was almost as though the Etro herself was crying.

Luna stood up and moved over to the window, watching the rainfall. She watched cars drive by kicking up water as puddles rapidly formed in the streets, and people running to get out of the sudden downpour. Altissia was beautiful even in the rain, the city was meant to be part of the water. A part of her considered the idea of grabbing an umbrella and stepping outside to watch it, or even going for a quick walk in the rain, but those thoughts left when she heard a loud banging at the door.

“Luna? You there? Help! I can’t reach my key!”

Prompto was back from getting lunch. Luna walked over and opened the door so the blonde could come in. He was holding a large plastic back of various foods and drink. She looked at him bewildered seeing that the bag looked like it was about to break. “I thought you were only getting lunch.”

“I did get lunch. You said you wanted an egg salad sandwich right?” Prompto said pulling out the container. She nodded and took it. “I also got us chips, some mini-reeses, this two liter bottle of soda...you like sprite right? I forget whether it was sprite or sierra mist you liked…”

“Uh, either ones fine.” Luna answered then shook her head. “Prompto, this is a little much.”

“Hey we’ve been hulled up with a bunch of dark clouds hanging over us, we should have something nice. Especially now that it’s raining.” Prompto said shaking his hair so water splattered across the room. Including on Luna’s long white shirt. “Oops. Sorry.”

Luna said nothing but gave him a small smile.  She took her seat on the bed and opened the container. She inspected the sandwich before taking a bite into it. She nodded as she enjoyed the taste. “Thank you for getting this Prom.”

“No problem. I kinda needed to stretch my legs anyway.” He said sitting down across from her. He opened the bag of mini reeses and held it out for her. She took some, unwrapped one, and stuck it in her mouth. “I feel like I’m losing my mind doing all this waiting. Iggy’s been pretty pissed off, seeing him like that makes me nervous.”

“Yeah me too.” Luna said as she took a bit from her sandwich. “Have you heard anything from Gladio today?”

“No, nothing.” Prompto said. He then pulled out his phone to check if he missed something. No new messages since that morning. “He said he was going to try and get answers out of that prisoner. I get the feeling he isn’t having much luck.” Prompto’s eyes fell on her tablet. “Did you find out anything on the ‘net?”

She shook her head which only made Prompto sigh, but he listened as she spoke. “It’s strange, Idola now has everything he needs to declare himself the victor in this war, but he’s made no announcement and discussions for peace talks have not opened. It’s almost as if he does not want the world to know Niflheim has Noct in their hands.”

“But, that was the whole point of this right?” Prompto asked. “Steal the Lucis family crystal and wipe out the royal family. That was his goal.”

“Yes. Maybe?” Luna said then sighed, “I don’t know. There’s news that Idola has soldiers on the border of Tenebrae. It’s like making Lucis an example was not enough and he wants to crush the country's allies.”

“Great...just great.” Prompto said. He took a seat next to Luna and the two fell silent. It was a strange silence, the two normally had a lot to talk about, but the week had been mostly awkward silences and occasional mumbling. “You okay if I turn on the tv?” He asked. Luna nodded as she took another bite of her sandwich. Prompto took the remote off the night table and turned the tv on. He flipped through some channels before stopping when he saw spongebob playing.

“I haven’t seen this in a long time.” Luna said sitting back as she ate lunch.

“Really? It’s on almost everyday.”

“After dealing with Tenebrae’s politics all day, television is the last thing on my mind. A peaceful quiet place with a book and some ibuprofen is much better.”

“Well we need to fix that.” Prompto said a grin on his face. “Next Saturday you’re joining me and the guys and instead of movie night, we’re marathoning spongebob.” His face as serious as he could make it, and Luna tried to mimic his facial expression before the two burst into laughter. It was light, but a little forced, like the world was not ready for them to be happy yet.

When Prompto settled down he continued talking. “When Noct and I were in high school, and he was sick, I’d go over to the castle every day and sit in bed with him.” He explained and Luna nodded. She had already heard this story before, but Prompto looked like he needed to keep some kind of conversation going or he’d get jumpy. “We’d talk and watch spongebob or disney movies. He’d fall asleep each time, and wake up complaining that I watched the movie or his favorite episode without him.”

“And then you would put it on again and not even a few minutes later he’d be asleep.” Luna said, a knowing grin on her face.

“Yeah! He does the same thing to you doesn’t he.”

“I started pausing the films when he nods off and reading something, but then he’d wake up after a few hours and get upset. He thought I wasn’t enjoying the movie, or he’d feel bad for falling asleep and keeping me waiting on him. Even after I told him it was fine.”

“I swear with Noct you just can’t win.”

“Not when he’s sick.”

“Yeah.” Prompto said shaking his head, “I still remember the winter of our second year of high school. There had been a bad flu going around, and it hit him pretty hard. He collapsed in class and had to be taken to the hospital. The first thing he did when he woke up was complain about being in the hospital. Then after the media circus died down he tried to sneak out. Didn’t get very far.”

“Stubborn. Always has been, always will be.” Luna said, “And it ends up biting him in the butt. Like last year, when he got pneumonia.”

“Don’t remind me. I love Noct, but after two months, I was ready to smack him upside the head. I'm amazed you didn’t, you stuck with him the entire time. You were only supposed to be in town for a week, but you stayed until he felt better.”

“I didn’t really have a choice, he practically held me hostage.” Luna said, but there was a small laugh in her voice. “He looked and felt absolutely miserable, so I felt obligated to stay. My parents hated it when I told them, they were not happy I decided to stay in Lucis during the flu season.”

“I bet. And Ignis hated how whenever he went in to check on Noct you were there by his side, sitting with him or lying with him. He kept saying that if you stayed too close you’d get sick.”

“Well when I did get back to Tenebrae I came down with the flu.”

“And Noct wanted to jump ship to Tenebrae the moment he heard.” Prompto said sighing and shaking his head. “It took all of us, his father, and even Medea and Cor to convince him to stay in Lucis. He couldn’t get sick again.”

“Yeah. Call me awful for saying it, but I was relieved when he told me he couldn’t see me.”

“It’s fine. Noctis couldn’t get sick again so soon. And if by some miracle he didn’t get sick, the timezone changes would have screwed him up. Not that he would have cared.”

Luna smiled and nodded. “The calls he made everyday while I was getting better were more than enough.” Luna said thinking fondly of those memories. How he’d call her the moment he woke up - which was hours after she woke up - and talk to her for a little while, still half asleep. During the day he’d send her texts or funny pictures to make her smile and at night he’d give her a call before he went to bed. Luna had loved how he cared so much, but the fact he got so sick so easily...she frowned at the thought, and how different it was compared to the Noctis she knew during childhood.

“It was strange seeing him like that.” Luna said, “I remember when we were kids how alive and full of energy he was. He was always very healthy. Then after the accident, the difference was like night and day. It was like a light in him had faded, that death never fully let go of him.”

“I met Noct after the accident.” Prompto said. “So the only Noctis I know is the sleepyhead that used to get away with sleeping in class all the time.”

The blonde chuckled a little and Luna noticed it sounded a little bitter. Like he was thinking of something that brought back bad feelings. “I used to hate how he could get away with sleeping in class all the time, that he only needed to attend twice a week. I hated hearing on the news whenever he had to be taken to the hospital, dad kept going on and on about how he was a spoiled child wasting the healers time.

“Then I got to know him...” He laughed a little, “he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and he wants a guy like me hanging around him. I didn’t believe it at first, sometimes it’s still hard to believe...”

Prompto trailed off and scratched his head before jumping off the bed, the sudden shift catching Luna off guard. “You know what? Screw this. Screw waiting around for Accordo to get it's act together. Let’s just go and get him!”

He sounded enthusiastic and Luna appreciated it but found herself less enthused. “But we don’t know where he was taken.”

“He was kidnapped by Niflheim spies, so he has to be there.”

“Yeah, but where in Niflheim?” She asked and saw Prompto hesitate, his shoulders becoming tense. “It’s a huge country. It’s likely he could be in the capital city but that’s deep in the heart of the nation. And that’s assuming we even get into it, Niflheim guards its borders like a fortress. No one gets in. Or out.”

A scowl formed on Prompto’s face as he started moving around in frustration. “Well what are we supposed to do then? Just wait for Accordo to get it’s ass together?”

“Well I’ve been trying to get a push from Tenebrae. Escalate our case to speak to the queen.”

“And what? Just wade through more political bullshit?”

“Prompto I’m doing everything I can! If I knew what to do we wouldn’t even be in this hotel room.” Luna said raising her voice and making the blonde jump back a little. Realizing she just yelled at him she looked away. “I’m sorry.”

Prompto sighed and looked down at the floor before sitting back on the bed. “I’m sorry too. I'm just tired of waiting, you know?”

“I’m tired of waiting too.” Luna said, “And I’m scared that one night I’m going to fall asleep and Etro is going to show me…” She stopped, she did not want to finish that train of thought or that sentence. She did not want to think about the possibility that Noctis could be dead.

She tried to think of what they could do. Wait for Accordo? Continue to escalate their case in Tenebrae? Would the queen even take her seriously now that Noctis was captured by the enemy? Luna was well respected for her work, and her status as Noctis’ fiance gave her a lot of pull, but did that matter in the end when Lucis was in shambles? Would they even look at her or Ignis twice and even consider meeting with them for talks?

She squeezed her hands so tight the already pale skin on her knuckles became white like bone. She only relaxed her grip when Prompto put a hand on hers. She looked up at him, then away. Her head was starting to hurt, she had not slept in two days. Her sandwich was mostly untouched and when she looked at it she suddenly felt a little sick. “I think I need to lay down.” She said.

“Oh...okay.” Prompto said watching as she pushed the sandwich onto the night table, and rolled over to look out the window. She watched as the rain fell, wishing that she had answers and afraid that she would see something she did not want to see when she closed her eyes.

* * *

 

Idola Aldercapt wore a mask on his face of a conniving opportunist and did so because it was the face people expected to see. Of course, he was a conniving opportunist. No ordinary person would be mad enough to attack an enemy country the day of peace signings. Except him, he was mad enough. There was a reason why he was called ‘the mad king’ these days.

He looked out at the streets of the capital city, reminding himself why he did what he did. His people were suffering. His country had played a bit part in the last war and yet all responsibility for what happened was placed on them. They were meant to pay the price. No resources. No money. A penniless kingdom of people starving in the streets waiting for Etro’s salvation. That was why he needed to get the crystal, the crystal was the key to his people’s survival. He would keep telling himself that until he believed it.

Idola’s thoughts were drawn away from the large window and he looked behind him when he heard the soft sound of footsteps as Aurora entered the room. Her presence was a little surprising, but he kept his expression neutral. “I was expecting Cyrus.” He said.

“My brother wanted me to let you know his report would be late. You’ll get it tomorrow.”

Idola frowned. He hated when information he wanted was delayed. “Did something happen?” He asked and he saw Aurora look away a scowl on her face.

“I broke the prince’s arm and Cyrus wants to see how the Crystal reacts.”

“...why did you break his arm?”

“He tried to strangle my brother.” Aurora said with a frown on her face. Idola nodded as she continued to speak, “Anyway I came here because I had a request. I’d like to go out to the town Filius is staying. My brother is well guarded by security and I am getting tired of looking at that dirty thing he’s playing with. I’d be of more use at one of the border towns than here in the city.”

Aurora was very good at explaining her reason, or at least giving an argument, but in reality she was just bored. She was bored of being around the castle. “You’re place is here.” Idola said.

“But-”

“My grandson will be back in the city in a few days. You’re place is here keeping an eye on our ‘guest.’” Idola said. Aurora glared but nodded and took a few steps closer joining Idola in looking out at the city. “I trust his report will be worthwhile?”

“With what Cyrus has been doing with him, I’d say so.” Aurora said looking out the window. “You think this will be worth it? These tests?”

“These tests will allow us to learn everything we can about the crystal. They will make our kingdom a power again. One day we will be a prosperous nation, and no other kingdom, not Accordo, not Tenebrae, will be able to stop us.  We will show them the glory and pride of Niflheim.”

“Through the crystal of another.” Aurora said, the comment snide, but said nothing more when the great king glared at him. She was overstepping her boundaries so she took a few steps back. “I will take my leave my lord.” She said giving a small bow and walking away. Idola watched her leave and shook his head before looking back at his city.

 


	5. A Touch of Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's cracking little by little and that little bit of kindness is just going to make him worse.

_He was in Lucis. He was in Prompto’s room resting against Gladiolus as his blonde friend and Ignis argued over what movie to watch. It was the third Saturday of the month, the night where they dropped everything and hid in the blonde’s room and watched movies until the early hours of the morning._

_Sort of. It was more accurate to say that Noctis would fall asleep around ten and the other three would be up until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes he would stir when Prompto got extra loud and watch what they were watching for a few more minutes, but then he would be asleep again. Then once the sun was up, Gladiolus and Ignis would return to their rooms and Prompto would curl up against Noctis until the afternoon. Then Prompto would have to wake Noctis up so the four of them could go and get lunch in town._

_However at that moment Noctis was beginning to doubt he would even make it to ten. His eyes felt very heavy and hard to keep open. He felt unusually tired, but he could not recall doing anything that would run him down so much. He didn’t have training today, Luna wasn’t in town, and he had not tried to stay up late the night before to talk to her. He just felt exhausted._

_He was in Lucis. Gladiolus was talking to him, waving a hand in front of his sunken eyes._

_“You sure you don’t want to skip out tonight? You’ve had a long week, we won’t hold it against you if you want to turn in.” Gladiolus said noticing that Noct has half asleep against his shoulder._

_“I’m sure.” He said, voice very quiet. Ignis and Prompto had stopped arguing, finally agreeing on a Marvel film, and the advisor put his hand to Noctis’ forehead. He then brushed his hair. Noctis flinched at the touch. He didn’t like it. He was not sure why, but he didn’t. Being touched like that suddenly made him feel terrified._

_“You’re a bit warm highness.” Ignis said, “It might be best for you to get some sleep instead of trying to keep up with us.”_

_“I want to hang out with you guys.” Noctis said trying to sit up. Everything hurt. Everything...hurt. “I haven’t seen you all week and…” He stopped closing his eyes again as a wave of exhaustion hit him. He felt Gladiolus hold him tighter and Ignis move his hand away from his head to his shoulder as the bed shifted. Prompto had moved closer and put a hand on his._

_“Alright.” Ignis said, “But don’t try to force yourself to stay awake. If you need to sleep then there isn’t much you can do about it, you need to sleep.”_

_“But-”_

_Ignis gave him a smile and squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll be here if you wake up.”_

_“If?” Noctis asked opening one eye._

_“Well, let’s face it Noct, you kinda sleep like the dead.” Prompto said his voice cheerful as he squeezed his hand. “But hey, if you have any bad dreams we’ll be here for you. Promise.”_

_His vision was blurry from fatigue, but he could tell that Prompto was smiling. Ignis was too and while he could not see Gladiolus from the angle he was at he could tell his bodyguard was as well. So Noctis smiled a little back and let himself relax. He felt safe. Peaceful and safe._

_He was in Lucis. He was safe with his friends._

Except he was not in Lucis.

Noctis leaned a little too far to his right and was suddenly awake as a jolt of pain ran through his body. He opened his eyes and he found he was not inside Prompto’s room, not on Prompto’s soft king size bed, and not leaned against Gladiolus dozing as Prompto and Ignis debated films. He was curled into the corner of his small dirty cell, head against the wall, shivering from the cold.

He was not in Lucis. He was in Niflheim. He was a Idola Aldercapt’s prisoner. Noctis blinked a few times as he realized this slowly and then felt the reality of his situation hit him like a truck. He had been dreaming. He had been dreaming good dreams from before his kingdom was bombed to pieces, the crystal taken, and reduced to a shadow of it’s former self.

Now he was back in the real world. He shivered a little more, but this time not from the cold and he closed his eyes as he tried to keep tears from streaming down his face. He leaned a little more against the wall and jumped back, crying out, as he felt sharp pain go through his arm.

He looked down to see that his right arm hung awkwardly, almost like it was detached, and remembered how he had tried attacking Cyrus after spending hours, days, as his lab rat. He could not remember why he had, he had still been coming out of his seizure and the only thing he remembered was that he was angry and scared. Then that woman got her hands on him...he could still hear the snapping and his own screams.

It was not healing properly. The broken bones had not been properly set and because of that his arm was not healing how it should. He could tell just from how it sagged, how even the slightest movement brought pain, how the crystals power flowing through him seemed to choke around it. Noctis blinked heavily trying to move a little and put himself in as little agony as possible. His wrists were all scratched and bloody from his handcuffs, his ankles too. He looked up to see a small tray of food resting near the door of his cell. Hungry...he felt very hungry, but every time he looked at the food he felt a little sick, and the few times he did eat it he’d threw up most of it up.

Each day he had less and less of an appetite. He knew that was not good, but forcing himself to eat just made him more sick. He wished Ignis were with him, his advisor would know what was wrong and how to help. Right now he did have a bit of an appetite, and his stomach kept grumbling telling him to eat a little. He had to keep going, he wanted to keep going, he was not ready to give up yet.

He wished he could move the tray over to him with his mind so he did not need to get up to get it. He had barely any energy, but if he wanted even the hope of being able to keep going he needed to get over there and eat something. So being very careful he moved himself to try and get to his feet, a difficult task with the hand and ankle cuffs on, but somehow he managed it. He was on two feet and he took a shaky step. Then another.

He fell over and crashed hard on the concrete floor grunting and groaning in agony. Everything hurt; head, chest, stomach, everything, and he curled up into a ball as pain overwhelmed his senses trying to will himself through it. The tears he had been trying to hold back streamed down his face. He was beginning to lose it. He had no idea how long he had been down in this room, how long Cyrus had been torturing him, only that it was too long. He could feel himself slipping, like he was losing control of his mind, and breaking apart little by little.

The only thing he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep brought him back to good times and happy memories before everything fell apart. It brought him back to his friends. It brought him back to Luna.

Prompto...Gladiolus...Ignis...Luna...he wondered where they were. If they were okay and if they were coming to rescue him. He shook his head. No, there was no ‘if’ they were going to rescue him. They were coming to rescue him. They would be here any moment. He’d hear the sound of Gladiolus attack guards with his sword and Ignis or Luna drawing fire or ice magic to stop the soldiers and he’d hear Prompto calling for him. They’d find him, break him out, make Cyrus and Aurora pay for what they did to him, and bring him somewhere safe. Somewhere he could sleep for awhile and wake up and find he was still with them and not in a dirty cell.

They were coming for him...they were right?

They were. Right? Yes.

Maybe.

He shook his head, there should have been no maybe, he had to push those doubts out of his mind. They were on their way, they would save him.

Right?

Noctis wanted to hit himself and scream at the doubts in the back of his mind, but when he moved the handcuffs dug into his bony wrists, creating fresh cuts, and causing more blood to drip down his arm. He took a few deep breaths. They were coming for him. They had to be.

They had to. They had too...he had no idea how much longer he could last...

Noctis froze as he heard footsteps. Guards coming for him. He tried to relax himself, close his eyes, and pretend he was asleep. The door opened and he heard footsteps enter the room.

“Still out cold ma’am.” One of the soldiers said.

“Well, wake him up. It’s a big day.” The woman said, and Noctis instantly recognized it as Aurora’s. He felt anger flare up in him, anger and fear, and if his eyes were open they would probably be red. “Wake him up now!”

The soldier wasted no time and before Noctis could even flinch he felt a boot collide with his stomach. His eyes snapped opened, the wind knocked out of him, and he groaned and whined in pain. He felt bile rise up to his throat and as he was lifted off the ground it dribbled out of his mouth onto the floor. Greenish yellow mixed with a blood red. Not good.

Noctis stumbled a little, struggling to stand as the guard held him up. He looked at Aurora who was staring at him. “My brother has some big things planned today.”

“No...” Noctis muttered as his head hung downward. His voice was weak and barely audible and Aurora had to move her head a little closer to listen.“Please...stop.”

She frowned at him and put her fingers to his chin lifting his head to look at her. “I don’t think you’re in a position to be making requests.”

“You have to...stop.” He managed to say, almost in disbelief he was trying to reason with the woman in front of him. He was getting desperate. “Idola’s a ...monster. He’ll-”

He was cut off by Aurora’s fist slamming into his face. Immediately he was seeing stars and his vision became fuzzy. He stumbled almost falling over but the guard kept him up on his feet. He felt warm liquid drip from his nose and blood splash on the floor. “Idola is going to set everything straight. He is going to restore our kingdom after you and every other one out there destroyed it.”

“What…?” Noctis started but did not get very far as the woman punched him again.

“Don’t play innocent.” Aurora said then paused as she considered Noctis age and sighed. History was written by the winners after all... “Your stories say that Niflheim turned against you in the last war, but it was you that abandoned us. You asked for our help and you tossed us aside when it was over! You’re family is a bunch of heartless bastards and I’ll make sure you pay for it.”

“I-I…” Noctis started, but stopped. His brain was numb from fatigue and what Aurora was saying made no sense. Niflheim was Lucis enemy because they betrayed Lucis in the last war. They turned against them because of disputes over the crystal. He shut his eyes and flinched when he saw Aurora was ready to hit him again.

“You’re not even worth it.” He heard her say followed by her shouting orders at the guards.

The guards pushed him forward and he moved slowly being shoved forward constantly. His footsteps were slow and shaky and the guards had to keep pushing him forward. He felt so tired. He just wanted to sleep. To sleep and forget he was here. To go back to Lucis and be with his friends and fiancé.

* * *

Idola wanted to give Cyrus some kind of punishment for being late with his report. Aurora said it would be in the next day. That was two days ago. However when he saw the report, he decided to forgive Cyrus’ tardiness and just give him a little slap on the wrist. “It won’t happen again, but I assure you the delay was worthwhile.”

Cyrus was a man of his word as he presented detailed charts and video related to the crystal. He even included detailed information on how Noctis was able to draw magic from the crystal. Idola smiled, impressed by the information as Cyrus walked him through it. “As you can see it was originally believed that the crystal’s magic only moved through him when he drew power from it, but that’s not true. It’s a constant stream flowing through him only becoming stronger when his life is in danger.”

“Interesting.” Idola said.

“It would certainly explain his reputation as ‘the sickly prince’, he was granted the crystals power far sooner than his body would be able to handle it. It's actually a wonder it didn’t overwhelm and kill him as a child. What his father was thinking I will never know.” Cyrus said to himself before bringing his attention back to his reports.

“The magic from the crystal allows him to heal rapidly from physical injury. In theory a broken leg that would take six weeks to heal could heal in half the time, maybe even less, provided it’s properly set. He’s more vulnerable to illness I’ve noticed, but even then the crystal helps him fight off almost anything. I’ve tested poisons, drugs, I’ve even had the chance to observe a burn being healed, the crystal’s like a filter that catches anything abnormal. The stronger the poison or drug, the less effective the crystal is, but it certainly doesn’t want him to die.” Cyrus paused and frowned before looking at Idola. “Could I have permission to break his leg?”

Idola looked at him. “Why?”

“Well I’d like to see if my theory has any merit.”

“Denied.” Idola said and Cyrus noticeably slouched over with a frown. “Aurora already broke his arm, that should give you all the information you need.”

“True, but the idiot who was supposed to make sure it healed properly did not, so I can’t get a good bar on how well the crystals healing properties are regarding broken bones.”

“And you want to risk another mistake by breaking his leg?” Idola asked. Cyrus was silent as he considered his king’s words. “Your are not to break his leg.”

Cyrus sighed but looked like he was not quite finished with arguing. “Well perhaps-.”

“You aren’t breaking his other arm.” Idola said not even looking up from the papers.

Cyrus fell silent again looking more like a child who was told not to break his new toy because it was too expensive to replace. Idola ignored him as he looked over the impressive amount of work in front of him regarding how the crystal cared for Noctis and then turned to the results of that. Some of the researchers had been able to find ways to manipulate the crystals magic at a low level, but found they could only do it through Noctis and only when he was conscious. They were already hard at work on finding a way around that problem. A smirk formed on Idola’s face. He had not seen Noctis since that day he was brought into the labs, he could imagine the boy looked quite miserable by now.

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about.” Cyrus said and Idola hoped it was not about breaking more bones. “While having the crystal gives us every advantage, Noctis also has the ability to control the Archaeans. I think that we should make use of that, see if we can get him to summon for us.”

“He won’t willingly.” Idola said.

“I know. He’s breaking little by little each day but his mind still has some sense. He won’t cooperate willingly, but with the right restraints and proper practice it’s possible we could be able perform a summoning through him.”

Idola frowned and considered this. It was a smart idea, but would take time and resources they did not have. Until his men could figure out how to manipulate the crystals magic without Noctis as a catalyst it would just be better to get Noctis to work with them. Even if it wasn’t willingly.

He frowned and stood up from his desk. “There is a way you could influence him, but it’s a little unethical.”

“Depending on perspective, we’re already engaging in human torture.” Cyrus pointed out. Idola frowned, silently admitting to himself that Cyrus had a point. He went over to his bookshelf and pulled out a binder and flipped through it. The binder contained a large list of weapons that all the countries had outlawed for one reason or another, but the most common reasons were ‘too dangerous’, ‘too unethical’ and ‘to insane.’ He stopped at one and pulled the papers out.

“This.” Idola said walking over and handing the paperwork to Cyrus. The man looked at it and his eyes widened. “I want a prototype by tomorrow.”

Cyrus’ reaction was one that he partly expected. Hesitation. The researcher looked at the paperwork, flipping through the long list of research efforts, side effects, and methods of use. He then moved back to the front page which had the title of the weapon.

“The Slave Crown. A weapon designed to block most brain functions and make the wearer a slave to the user.” Cyrus said then looked up at Idola. “Are you sure about this?”

“If we want to use the Archaeans, that would be the quickest way to do so.” Idola said, “You have permission to use any means to make sure the crown works properly but I want a prototype by tomorrow.”

Cyrus stared at him for a few long seconds and then nodded. “Very well, I will get started.”

“Good. You’re dismissed.”

Cyrus turned and left the room. Idola took his seat again and went back to looking at the information Cyrus had given him before closing the folders. He looked up when he heard a knock on his door.

“Yes?” He asked annoyed as the door opened.

“Sir, your grandson is back from the borders.”

* * *

 “You’re late.”

Filius said nothing at first, instead he just smiled at Aurora’s greeting as she walked down the hall with a smirk on her face. She pulled him into a hug which he happily returned wrapping his arms tightly around her. When he pulled away she gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder. He winced and rubbed the spot she had hit him in. Her punches hurt pretty bad, even if they were friendly. He would hate to be on the receiving end of a serious one.

“Sorry. We had trouble with monsters at the borders. It’s good to be back.” He said taking her hand and kissing her fingers. She smiled amused by his gesture. “It’s terrible out there.”

“I bet you missed the palace.” She said.

“You have no idea. After days eating nothing but military rations and sleeping on cots I could go for a hot meal and a nice bed.” He said pulling her close and giving her a small kiss on her head. “I trust that things have been well here?”

“It’s been a busy week.” Aurora said. “We’ve had a very special guest.”

“Really?” Filius asked. He frowned, a bit confused. As far as he could tell neither he nor his grandfather were expecting any special guests. The fact that Aurora was even present meant that she had completed or had been called back from her mission in Altissia. “Did something happen?”

“A lot of good things have happened, most of them good I can assure you. Do you want to meet our guest?” Aurora asked and Filius looked at her than down the hall that lead to his grandfather’s office. “

“Can it wait? I want to give my report to my grandfather then lie down for a nap.” He explained. Aurora nodded.

“Of course. Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll meet you at the prison entrance.” She said.

Now he was more curious. “I think my grandfather can wait a little longer.” He said and saw the cold smirk that crossed Aurora’s face. “Let me see our ‘guest’.”

Aurora led him down to the prisons and he shuddered at how cold it was as well as some of the screams. He did not come down here often, he really did not like it, and tried to avoid being down in the prisons as often as possible. Aurora led him down a hall and stopped at a cell with two guards in front of it. The presence of guards told Filius more than enough of what he needed to know. Whoever there ‘special guest’ was, they were very important. A political figure from Accordo perhaps. It was a strong possibility considering Aurora had been in the city for awhile.

“Take a look.”

Filius looked through the thin opening in the door and his eyes widened as he saw the person. Noctis Lucis Caelum was curled up in a corner, battered, bruised, and bloody. He was barely recognizable, only his hair - tangled as it was - giving away his identity. Filius felt his stomach turn at how visible Noctis ribs were.

Filius looked to away trying to keep his face neutral and turned to Aurora. “A special guest indeed.” He said trying to keep his voice steady. “What is he doing here?”

“Helping Cyrus figure out how the crystal works.” Aurora said with a tone of indifference. “Your grandfather has been quite pleased with the progress.”

“I’m sure he has.” Filius said looking back in. He was grateful the prisons were so dark, otherwise Aurora might have noticed that his skin had turned a little green. “How long has he been down here?”

“I haven’t been keeping track, but I think it’s been almost two weeks. Cyrus would have a better idea since he’s the one running the project.”

Filius nodded a feeling of dread forming in his chest. He cleared his throat almost like he was trying to push that feeling away from him, only it stayed. “Speaking of my grandfather I should bring my report to him.” He turned to leave stopping when Aurora spoke up again.

“You okay?” She asked a slight hint of concern in her voice. “I thought you’d be happier to see him locked up.”

Filius frowned. He did not turn around to face her. “I am happy.” He said hoping he sounded honest, “It’s just, I did not expect to see him look like that. You caught me off guard and I need time to process it. That’s all. Excuse me.”

He continued to walk away as Aurora watched him. She crossed her arms and shook her head before looking back into the cell. Filius was too soft, which was one reason why he was a prince and not a king.

The other was because he was a terrible liar.

* * *

 

He gave his report to his grandfather. A behemoth had broken through the southern border and attacked one of the nearby villages. A lack of care had caused the structure to weaken and the powerful monster broke through with little effort. The village he had taken his men to had suffered a large number of casualties and he hoped the military could lend some assistance by sending healers. It was a small village of five hundred, but it was located in one of the more fertile areas in the county. His thought process was that if they treated the wounded it would bring about as little decrease in crop production as possible.

However even as he argued, he expected his request to be rejected and when it was he was not surprised. He was even less surprised by the answer. Lack of money and resources. Of course there was a lack of money and resources, it was all going into researching the crystal. And his grandfather wondered why his people hated him.

“Perhaps if we put more resources into aiding our people instead of examining a glowing rock they would think more highly of you!” He had said and that comment had gotten him excused from his grandfather’s office. The ends justified the means, Idola Aldercapt kept telling him. His people hated him now but when they unlocked the secrets of the crystal than they would turn around and see him as Niflheim’s greatest king. Filius found himself laughing silently at the thought. His grandfather being seen as a great king would be the day Garula’s grew wings.

Filius was a prince serving in the military, his grandfather had insisted so he could understand what they were trying to achieve, however the only thing Filius had concluded was that Niflheim would be having much better luck putting itself together if they had agreed with Solheim’s conditions to secure trade. His grandfather had refused because Solheim was a strong ally of Lucis’.

Lucis was an ally with every country to some degree except for Niflheim. As far as his grandfather was concerned, the once great kingdom was on its own and needed to show its strength in any way possible. That was why so much work went into their military, and now why it was going into their research into the crystal. But he had neglected his people, and every time Filius returned from the streets to the castle he found himself arguing with his grandfather more and more about what was more important. The people or the war and the crystal was in the middle of the argument.

Now his grandfather was using the Lucis prince as a test subject to better understand the crystal. Filius stared at the ceiling of his room in thought, unable to take that nap that he had been planning to take. He still remembered when he met Noctis, he still had a framed drawing on his wall from when they were children. It was of a frog on a lillypad that Noctis had drawn when he was four. It was poorly proportioned, the frog’s head was far too large and the lilypad to small but it was of a quality most four year olds could not achieve. Noctis had liked drawing when they were younger. Filius wondered if he still did, it was never brought up. During his visits to Lucis Noctis was usually sick, sleeping, or out with friends so he rarely saw him and when he did see him it was all politics.

It was almost hard to believe that at one point the two royals saw each other as friends, but now that they were older Filius was not sure how he had managed to fool himself with that delusion. It was more accurate to say they had always been enemies and just ignorant of the reality in front of them. And yet...seeing him like that...

Filius sighed and sat up. He dressed himself and before he knew it he was back in the confines of the prison. He walked the hallways and stopped at the door the guards were at. “Highness.” One of the guards said as a greeting. Filius nodded to him in acknowledgement.

“I’m here to see the prisoner.” He said. He saw one of the guards eyes widen briefly and then the two look at each other. “Is there a problem?”

“No sir.” The guard said. It was not his place to ask questions. The guard opened the door and Filius stepped in. One of them moved to follow but stopped when Filius looked at him annoyed. “For your safety it's best I-”

“I’ll be fine. Please close the door.” Filius said. He noted the guards hesitation, but the door did close behind him. If something happened they could just rush in, but Filius had a pretty good feeling that nothing would happen. With nothing to disturb him Filius turned his attention to Noctis. The boy was huddled in the same corner, almost exactly as he had been a few hours ago.

Filius knelt down close to him and put a hand to the boys cheek, noting how cold and pale he was and disturbed to find how visible the young boys cheekbones were through his skin. Noctis had never had the most prominent cheekbones, he was always more of a babyface, which just made their presence more disturbing. Combined with the dried blood, scrapes, and dirt covering his body it was even more obvious how poorly treated he was. He looked down at Noctis arms, one which looked to be broken, the other covered in needle marks, and he frowned as he saw some of those marks had prominent veins around them. Infection? Cyrus was usually more careful than that.

“What has my grandfather been doing to you?” Filius asked less to the sleeping boy and more to himself. He moved his hand up Noctis face and toward his hairline. To his surprise the prince squirmed as though the gesture scared him or caused him a large amount of pain. His eyes opened briefly before closing again as he curled up a little which only caused him to whimper in pain. “Noctis…”

The small prince’s eyes partly opened and Filius noted that they were a deep grey. A very deep grey, almost black in color. They were unfocused and hollow, but slowly they looked at him. Filius saw a flicker of recognition in those eyes before they became dull again, his head sagging. Filius wanted to say something, but he found himself unable of think of anything. He examined Noctis dirty face and stood up moving to the door.

“One of you bring me some fresh water and a clean rag.” He said. He could see the guards looked hesitant but one of them left to fetch what he requested.

He did not have to wait long. The bowl of water looked clean as did the rag, so he took it and set himself near the prince again. He frowned, looked the prince over again and then took his jacket off and draped it over the young boy’s body. He then dipped the rag in the water, wrang it out,and moved it to Noctis cheek. He saw Noctis flinch at first, his eyes showing an unusual amount of fear before relaxing, as though realizing that Filius was not going to hurt him. Filius moved the cloth over his face, occasionally re-wetting it as he did so, and carefully wiped the dirt from Noctis’ skin.

When he was done the prince’s face looked a little better. There was a color to his face that it had lost from being caked with dirt and sweat, but he still looked frightfully pale, almost gray, and Filius knew that just cleaning his face would not be enough. “Does that feel better?” He asked. He got no response at first but after a few seconds he noticed Noctis nod his head a little. He was not sure if it was because the prince was answering him or because he was falling back to sleep.

Filius remembered the rest of Noctis injuries and decided whether Noctis was thanking him or not was irrelevant. “I’m going to get you a healer. A real one, not one of these-”

“No.” Filius stopped speaking when he heard Noctis. The prince opened his eyes a little more, and his breathing became rougher. “No...heal…” He gasped for breath and sounded disoriented. It was a struggle to form words.

“Noctis, you need medical help. Now’s not the time to be-”

“Luna…” He mumbled and Filius frowned at the mention of Noctis fiancé, the prince’s eyes shut again and Filius could see his mouth move a little as he struggled to speak. “Ig...nis…” He just barely heard him, Noctis was trying to ask about his friends. He sighed and shook his head.

“You’re friends aren’t here Noctis.” He said and he saw Noctis noticeably freeze before shaking his head.

“No…” He muttered. Filius watched the dark haired prince, a mixture of anger at his father and sympathy for the man he once thought of as a friend.

“They aren’t here, I’m sorry. But look I’m going to try and-”

“No...no no no…”

Noctis just kept shaking his head and repeating it over and over again. Filius put a hand on Noctis shoulder and the prince’s reaction was to immediately shrink back hiding himself in the jacket and make a small high pitched noise. He shook violently and Filius had a terrible feeling that Noctis was beginning to lose his senses if he had not already. The boy was sick and needed medical attention right away.

The door opened and Filius turned around to see Aurora step in. She looked at him and frowned then looked over at Noctis on the floor, and then back to Filius. The blonde sighed and stood up and followed Aurora back out of the prison cell. He left his jacket for Noctis who had made himself hidden underneath it trying to savor the warmth it brought him.

“I knew you’d be down here.” She said. “What are you doing?”

“I just wanted another look at our prisoner.” Filius said and he would have left it at that had Aurora not been glaring at him. “Noctis needs medical attention.”

“Why? He looks fine to me.” Aurora said having long turned a blind eye to Noctis physical well being.

“He looks starved and injured. On top of that he’s scared. He has marks on his arm that are infected. He needs medical attention.”

“Lord Aldercapt will deny any medical attention, you know that. After my brother is done using him for studying the crystal he will be disposed of.”

“Disposed of? So my grandfather won’t even allow Lucis’ prince a dignified death?” Filius said, “Treating him with the decency of a common thief is not right.”

“He deserves the treatment of a common thief. It’s because of him that-”

“Noctis was barely a toddler when the last war ended, do not put his father’s crimes on him!” Filius yelled.

“He sided with his father!” Aurora yelled back, there words echoed through the prison halls. The environment fell silent before it became louder from the ruckus. Other prisoners yelled and screamed only to be silenced by guards. Aurora sighed and shook her head, trying to regain her composure. ”You heard him a few years ago. You were there. He referred to you and the people of Niflheim as a bunch of pathetic dogs, so he’s going to be treated like one.”

Filius did not want to be reminded of that. Noctis and he buried the hatchet a few months later but by then it was a little too late to try and start building bridges again.

Aurora kept speaking. “Filius, you need to let go of this childhood friendship with him. You two are enemies, always have been, always will be. You’re service is to your people.”

“My people would much prefer it if we spent more time making stable roads and fixing our filtration system so we can have clean water than...this.” He said motioning to Noctis’ prison cell.

“I know.” Aurora said. “But you’re grandfather is thinking longer term.” She said putting a hand on his shoulder. “When we’re done and understand the crystal, they will have clean water and stable roads. And more than that. Fertile land to grow crops, safe houses to live in, all the commodities Lucis took for granted will belong to our people.”

Filius said nothing. He had a disturbing feeling that Aurora was wrong. His grandfather was obsessed with using the crystal in a twisted revenge tactic, but kept assuring him that the people were his main motivation. He found himself doubting that more and more even as Aurora kept assuring him that was the case. He took a deep breath, and let it out. “Alright. I trust you.” He said. He really did not.

“Good. Now let’s get out of here.” Aurora said. Filius nodded and walked down the hall back to the prison entrance. Aurora watched him and then looked at the prison cell. Once Filius had turned a corner she told one of the guards to open the door to the cell. She stepped in, took one look at Noctis, huddled under Filius jacket, grabbed the long jacket and pulled it off him. Noctis reaction was immediate, his eyes widened in shock and he grabbed one of the sleeves desperate to hold on to the first bit of warmth he felt in too long. Aurora’s eyes widened almost not expecting the reaction before yanking the jacket out of his weak grip and kicking him hard in the chest. Noctis cried out and she thought she heard something crack as he curled up on the floor. She watched him and then shook her head.

“You’re pathetic.” Aurora said pushing him a little with her foot. “A once proud prince reduced to this. You’re not deserving of your title, or the crystal’s blessing. If my brother didn’t still need you, I’d send you to Etro’s gate right now.”

Noctis said nothing. His eyes stared blankly at nothing. His body was limp and lifeless, the only noise being the sound of haggard breathing. Aurora left the cell leaving the prince with nothing but the cold to keep him company.

 


	6. To Sleep and be Fooled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis just wants to sleep. Litus sends the others on a wild goose chase. Cyrus completes his prototype.

Two weeks was far too long to wait, but real world politics moved slower than they would have liked. The group of four all knew this, but that did not stop them from hating it, especially Prompto. Ignis had long gotten used to how slow the political world worked, but with a close friend’s life at risk he found himself becoming frustrated with it. Luna was in the hallway ending a call on her phone.

She had just gotten off the phone with a friend from Tenebrae. It had been the third time she called in the last four or five days. The reason was the same as before, she was trying to escalate their situation in the hopes that someone would be willing to greenlight an attack and rescue mission to Niflheim. That someone within Tenebrae cared enough about Noctis or Lucis to help despite his absence.

Unfortunately the more she pried the less she seemed to find her friends and co-workers willing to cooperate. The queen would only talk if Noctis was present, and since Noctis was captured by the enemy, she refused to speak with them. Combined that with how long it had been since Noctis was taken from the Altissia castle and her friend had openly said what everyone in Tenebrae was thinking.

“It’s been two weeks Luna. He’s probably dead.”

“I can assure you he’s not dead!”

She dreamed of death whenever she fell asleep, but Etro had not once shown her any image of Noctis dying. However that was not considered good enough. Regardless of whether they believed her -they did unless it was more beneficial for them not too - Tenebrae had shifted its main priority to securing its borders in case Niflheim’s military decided to launch an attack. Luna was reluctant to admit it, but she understood her councilman’s train of thought and why her people would do this. It did not stop her from almost throwing her phone into the nearest wall.

She had stopped herself by taking a deep breath and sending a message to Solheim. It was a plea out of desperation, she doubted that she would hear back.

“You probably would have better luck with Solheim if you let me talk to them.” Ignis told her after she had explained what she had been doing for the past hour he was speaking with Altissia’s politicians.

“You were speaking to Duchess Candace and I got impatient. There’s only so long I can stay in one place without losing my mind.” Luna said. Ignis raised an eyebrow at her outburst as she rubbed her head. “Please tell me you have good news.”

“Duchess Candace sends her regards and hopes that Noctis is found alive and well.” Ignis said. Luna felt like slapping herself in the head. “She said she would try and give us a little pull but anything she does will bounce back to Altissia’s circle. And you know how well they’re cooperating.”

“I don’t understand why I can’t take this to the king.”

“Because the king has no power.” Ignis said, “You’re specialty is international affairs, why don’t you know this?”

“Well, I’m sorry I’m so stressed out and tired I’m forgetting things!” Luna snapped falling silent as Ignis met her with a disapproving frown. She took a deep breath and pushed herself against the wall and took out her tablet.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to find anything that tells me-”

“You’re wasting your time.” Ignis said. He hated to be blunt and that glare she was giving him told him that he would probably be losing an arm or leg later, but she needed stop checking the news on her tablet. If Niflheim did not announce anything an hour ago it was unlikely they were going to announce something now. He looked over Luna’s complexion, pale and the dark circles under her eyes were so heavy not even concealer was covering them. “Ms. Lunafreya when is the last time you lied down?”

“I’m doing the same thing I always do Ignis, my naps haven’t been restful.” Luna said.

“Well perhaps you should get a restful one. Noct would not like you overworking yourself, you’re going to-”

“Burn out?” She asked then sighed, “The last conversation I had with Noct was about him worrying I’d burn myself out.”

“He’s right to worry. You work to hard, it’s only one reason you have insomnia.” Ignis said and Luna sighed. He felt a little relieved when she put her tablet in sleep mode then frowned as she let herself slide onto the floor. She looked less physically exhausted and more mentally. They all were. Ignis offered his hand to Luna and the girl looked at it before giving him a half smile and taking it. He pulled her back to her feet just as Prompto came running down the hall.

“Guys!” He shouted as he slowed to a stop. “That prisoner Gladio’s been dealing with? Sounds like he wants to talk.”

Ignis and Luna stared at the blonde young man almost in disbelief before following him back down in the prison. “You’re certain?” Luna asked as they made their way down the hall past various guards and to the specific spot. Luna stopped in front of the cell, her eyes taking in the man in question. He looked the same as he did when he snuck into the library just a lot dirtier, though unlike others he seemed pretty indifferent to it. He looked up at her and smiled.

“Hey hey, look who's here. How you doing princess-to-be?” He asked. Luna frowned really not liking his attitude.

“Gladiolus said you wanted to talk.” Luna said. “Is it about the Prince of Lucis?”

“So formal, I hope you actually use his name when you talk to him.” Litus said a grin on his face as he saw Luna’s hand form into a fist. Prompto grabbed her wrist before she could do anything that would end up hurting herself and Ignis adjusted his glasses to get a better look at the man in question.

“I take it there’s a catch to your information?” He asked.

“You know it.” Litus said and Ignis looked at Gladiolus for details.

“Says he wants a reduced sentence, and a more comfortable prison cell. Specifically one with easier access to a shower.”

“That last part is a huge deal breaker by the way.” Litus said the smirk never leaving the man's face, which left Ignis wondering if he was serious or not.

“You know I don’t have the authority to-”

“Well I guess your boys just going to rot away in a dank, dirty cell.” Litus cut Ignis off, “I wonder if he’s realized that no one’s coming for him. Wonder what that feels like? Bet it hurts. I mean you’re his friends. And you,” He looked at Luna, “weren’t you going to marry him? Ouch. The few people a guy can count on, one of them his love, and you're just gonna-”

“ _Where is Noct?_ ” Luna asked her body visibly shaking though whether from anger or exhaustion was hard to pin down. Litus never stopped smiling, and Ignis and Gladiolus were sure he was just trying to rile them all up. In Luna’s case it was working and Ignis could not help but notice Prompto decided to keep his pistol on him today and his free hand was reaching for it.

“We’ll do what we can.” Ignis finally said.

“Uh uh, not good enough.” Litus said.

“We’ll do it.” Gladiolus said. There was no guarantee, not that their prisoner needed to know that. “Now answer the lady's question. Where’s Noctis?”

Litus smirk faded being replaced with a frown. He seemed to be contemplating his answer before speaking up. “You know how Aurora was said to be spying on Niflheim base camps in the area. Well that last part has some truth to it. There’s a Niflheim outpost about fifty miles outside of Altissia, it’s mainly a research facility. It was to be the first drop off point for the kid when we kidnapped him.”

The four looked at each other in silence and then Gladiolus looked back at the man being held prisoner. “And you’re certain he’s there?” He said.

“Not a clue, but if you want to start looking for him, that would be the place to start. There might be some good stuff there, even a way to get into Niflheim undetected. Probably.” Litus said.

A silence fell over all five of them and shortly after Luna muttered something to excuse herself and make her way back outside. Prompto followed and after a few short seconds Ignis and Gladiolus did too. Litus frowned, apparently not happy he was not getting what he wanted. “Hey! What about my-”

“We’ll have someone transfer you to a more comfortable cell when we get back.” Ignis cut him off and followed. Litus frowned in disapproval but shrugged and motioned for a guard to come over to him.

Ignis closed the door behind him and saw and Prompto against a wall, Gladiolus looked the most composed but they all looked to be thinking. “What do you think?” Gladiolus asked.

“Suspicious.”

“If they were so close wouldn't we have known by now?” Luna asked.

“You’re right we would. But sometimes the most obvious hiding places are in plain sight.” Ignis said, “The real question is, is this worth investigating? Do you think he’s being honest with us?”

“Probably not, but I need to do something.” Gladiolus said, “Getting tired of watching you two go in circles.”

Ignis nodded as they considered their limited options. Luna was the first to speak up. “We’ll look.” She said. Ignis looked at the others for their input.

“What else can we do?” Prompto asked, “Better than just waiting around here.”

“Then we should get the Regalia.” Ignis said. He just hoped this went somewhere. 

* * *

 All Noctis wanted to do was sleep. Nothing else. Not eat, not move, not fight; he gave up on fighting when it hit him no one was coming for him. No one would be coming to rescue him. He would die alone in his small cold cell, and those thoughts consumed and swallowed him until there was no more will to keep going.

Now he just wanted to sleep and forget where he was. When he was asleep, he was away from the cold prison, the hard floors, and instead in a sea of dreams. Dreams that made the cold more bearable, until he woke up. His dreams were no longer about Lucis, but instead were incoherent bubbles of nothing. He felt empty and alone - but sometimes he could feel a warm embrace. Sometimes when he could put his thoughts together he wondered if that was Etro trying to take him to the world of the dead. Not that the crystal was going to let her.

He wished he could keep his eyes closed and just be lost in his dreams until his body gave out, but that hope left him whenever the door opening woke him and made him curl up into a ball on the floor, fear overwhelming him as he was pulled onto his feet. He swayed on his legs, he didn’t have the strength to stand, let alone walk, so he was half dragged out of the cell and down the hall. They were taking him to that room Cyrus always had him in. He did not even need to have his eyes opened to know that.

Except today was different. Once inside Noctis looked up to see Cyrus working with something different. Some round metal object. The researcher looked over at the guards and then to him.

“Sit him down.” He said motioning to a nearby chair. The guards did so and Noctis found himself nodding off again struggling to keep his eyes open. Leather straps were wrapped around his arms, legs, and chest to keep him in place so he wouldn’t collapse on the floor. Cyrus looked him over noting how skeletal and ill he looked before pulling a small vial out of his cabinet, filling the syringe to an appropriate amount and bringing it over. He searched for a vein before sticking the needle into Noctis’ bony arm.

“I admit this might be a bit much for you, but I need you awake.” Cyrus said as he pushed down to let the drug enter Noctis body. It had the desired effect in seconds, Noctis gasped for breath, his eyes snapping open, and he looked up. He felt dizzy, his heart was racing, and he felt a strange numbness in his body, especially in his legs, like the blood in them was cold. Cyrus removed the syringe and tossed it in the trash. “We have a special guest today.” He said.

There was a knock on the door and Cyrus smiled as it opened. Noctis stared confused, his exhausted mind taking a few seconds to process what was going on, before fury welled up in him as he saw Idola Aldercapt step into the room. His eyes bright red, Noctis found himself pulling at his restraints wincing as they pushed back against him. Aurora was behind the mad king and the only thing Noctis was able to think about was how good it would feel to snap her neck with his hands.

Idola noted Noctis presence and shook his head. “It’s like he’s gone feral.”

“Probably.” Cyrus said with a shrug as he turned his attention to a small case on the table. He opened it and pulled out a thin brown ring like band, large enough to put on Noctis head. “Here we are, the prototype slave crown. I tested it out on some of our other men to adjust the settings appropriately.”

Aurora frowned. That explained the sudden increase in migraines at the hospital. And why one of them was in a coma. “So it’ll work?”

“Yes, with minimal side effects. In theory.” Cyrus said. In truth he was not completely certain what side effects Noctis would suffer. The men he tested it on were mentally stable and physically healthy. Noctis at this point was not quite what he would consider stable in either category. He was already prepared for the possibility that placing the crown on his head would fry his brain. “Just be warned, when I put this on him, he might drop dead.”

Idola frowned but nodded. “Put it on him.”

“Very well.” Cyrus said and approached Noctis who had stopped struggling against his restraints, having worn himself out. He looked up at Cyrus with a glare, his red eyes having faded to a more greyish color. He looked at the crown and tried to move his head away, but Cyrus slipped it on him with little effort.

At first Noctis felt nothing. Then slowly, he began to feel pressure in his head, and he moaned in agony as a headache formed. He felt his mind becoming cloudy. His vision became spotty as he heard his heartbeat in his ears, his breath quickening as it became harder and harder for him to think and make sense of what was going on around him.

He was slipping. Panic set in as he felt himself slipping. No, it was worse, it was like his mind was forcefully being torn apart. His thoughts were becoming muddy and confused, tied in knots, thrown into a fog as the pressure in his head overwhelmed him. He tried to think, think of something to hold onto. His family. His name (oh Etro what was his name?). His friends...his... friends...

Ignis... Gladiolus…. Prompto...Luna. Luna...Lucis. He wanted to go back to Lucis...he wanted to go back with his friends….he wanted to...to go... back with...Luna....

To go...back...where?

...Who?

Idola watched as Noctis struggled and then stopped moving, his body sagging in the chair. He didn’t move, his body completely still, but his eyes were still open. There was a blank look on his face. Cyrus moved forward and waved a hand in front of Noctis face, then checked his pulse. It was weak but steady. “Oh look, he’s still alive.” He said pleased with himself. “Noctis sit up straight.”

It took a second but Noctis did so. Cyrus nodded satisfied then undid the prince’s bindings.

“Cyrus I don’t think-” Aurora started but stopped when Cyrus removed the last strap from Noctis leg and she saw the prince had no reaction. He just sat there and stared like he was in a trance.

“Noctis stand up.” Cyrus said and slowly the prince did so right at command. “Hold your left hand out like so.” Cyrus said lifting his hand out in front of him. Noctis followed suit. “Good, now put it back to your side.”

Noctis did as told.

“Well this is going quite well.” Cyrus said, a grin on his face. “Idola do you have any command for him?”

Idola smirked, impressed by what he was seeing. “Limits?” He asked.

“As long as it’s in his ability he will do it.” Cyrus said, “You could have him fight or use magic, and he would do it regardless of how worn out he is. The crown will compel him to keep moving. It is already set for your voice command my lord.”

Idola nodded and looked to the prince. The prince of Lucis was at his mercy. “Noctis, walk over here.”

At command Noctis did so and Idola noticed that despite being told he could not walk well, he was walking perfectly fine. The prince stopped in front of him. His eyes were blank, only half open as he waited for a command. “Raise your hand, palm to the ceiling.” Idola commanded and Noctis did so. “Form a small controlled flame in your palm.”

Noctis fingers curled inward and Cyrus noted how the readings on the crystal dipped momentarily as the prince began to draw magic from it. With a flick of his wrist the flame came to life, small and weak but there. Idola smiled, pleased with results of Cyrus’ tests. “I want to see what he’s capable of. We’ll bring him to the training facility and see how he fights against the magitek troops.”

“Might want to get him dressed first.” Aurora muttered looking him over. “We still have his clothes.”

Idola gave the okay and with Cyrus issuing the prince commands Aurora was able to dress him. His black clothes hung loosely off him and they smelled of mothballs due to not being washed. His belt around his pants needed to be tied tightly because he had gotten so thin. It was too tedious to put his boots on so they kept him barefoot. Aurora shook her head; the once proud prince of Lucis had been reduced to a husk.

The group returned to the palace floor just as Filius was walking down the hall, looking over some papers. He stopped when he saw them and frowned when he saw that Noctis was with them completely unrestrained. “Noctis?” He asked walking over to them.

“Filius. Hard at work I see.” Idola said a look of amusement on his face. Filius stopped and gave his grandfather a respectful salute before bringing his attention to Noctis. The prince just stared in front of him, a blank look on his face. Filius cut between Cyrus and Noctis and waved a hand in front of him. No response. It was like he had been broken.

“Is he alright?” He asked then frowned as he saw a slight bit of brown hidden under Noctis’ hair. He moved the strands aside and saw the crown resting on his head. “What is that?”

“That is a slave crown.” Idola said and Filius moved back and looked at his grandfather with a bewildered and horrified expression on his face.

“Grandfather, those are illegal! Why would you-”

“Filius, if this works out as expected, Noctis will bring great power Niflheim. With the Archaean’s at our control, we will have the rest of the nation's bowing at our feet.”

Filius looked at him then stared back at the slave crown. “No country is going to bow to Niflheim when they learn you’re developing illegal weapons.” He said. He shook his head in disbelief and walked away from them, going the way he had just come from. Aurora watched him.

“My Lord, should I go talk to him?” Aurora asked.

“Let my grandson have some time to himself. He’ll come around.” Idola told her. Aurora looked down the hall for a few seconds longer and then followed Idola and Cyrus out of the castle.

The training facility was just down the street. Guards surrounded them as they walked and citizens sneered at Idola on the road. Once inside Idola had Aurora walk Noctis into the arena. She put an earpiece in his left ear then left him to stand in the center of the room to join Idola and Cyrus on the upper floor. Cyrus pressed a few buttons on a control panel.

“Training setting?”

“Put it at it’s highest.” Idola said, “I want to see him at his most powerful.”

Cyrus nodded and did so letting the doors open as several magitek troops entered the room. He passed Idola the headset he could give Noctis orders through and pressed a button. Instantly several of the robotic drones drew their swords and axes, and some rushed for Noctis position, others hung back, a few drew guns.

Idola gave his command. “Wipe them out. Don’t hold back.”

Even if Noctis was conscious enough to try and hold back the slave crown would not let him, Idola was his master and he was compelled to obey every command. A flash of white light surrounded Noctis and several weapons appeared around him as he summoned his silver sword to his hand. Without hesitating he lunged forward to meet the first drone and slashed it clean in half, the swords, spears, and axes around him zooming in on the closest magitek troops. He struck his sword through another, switched effortlessly to the great sword when more than several surrounded him, and then back to his silver blade again as another snuck up behind him. When the ones in the back fired on him, the weapons converged around him like a shield and he lunged for the group.

Cyrus watched in silence, noting how even with the slave crown Noctis seemed to have specific preferences for certain weapons. His silver sword seemed to be his weapon of choice and he only used lance weapons after warp-dodging. He also noticed that despite Aurora breaking his right arm and it not healing properly, he was using it as his preferred sword hand. Cyrus wondered briefly what pain that could cause his subject.

“Noctis, add magic to your attacks.” Idola said and without hesitating Noctis obeyed. The room lit up with magic as Noctis drew a fire spell and launched it into the chest of a nearby soldier before turning around and with his greatsword clearing several magitek drones that had surrounded him. He ran the giant blade through one's chest, then used his silver sword to finish it off by slicing it’s head off. Without hesitating he drew more magic and had a powerful thunder spell slice through the soldiers.

And then suddenly he stopped. Noctis stopped moving and collapsed onto the floor. Idola’s eyes widened and then narrowed as Cyrus pressed some buttons and the magitek soldiers stopped moving. “Stand up!” He ordered.

Noctis did not move.

“Stand!” Idola shouted. The order was loud and clear, but it took several long seconds until Noctis started moving again and he moved slowly, as though he had no strength in his body. Once he was on his feet Cyrus rushed down to the arena. Aurora followed him just in case something went wrong and put him in danger.

Cyrus immediately looked Noctis over. The boy’s eyes were a deep grey and had a hazy look to him which told Cyrus he was still under the control of the slave crown. He put a his fingers to Noctis thin neck and checked his pulse. It was weak and as Cyrus noticed Noctis chest rise and fall he heard a strange wheezing noise coming from his mouth. He put his ear to Noctis chest and frowned as he heard his heard and something else that did not sound right. He then put his hand to Noctis’ and noted the prince was burning up.

“Noctis I need you to lie on your back.” Cyrus said and Noctis did so as Idola stepped into the room.

“What is going on?” Idola asked. Cyrus was silent as he rolled Noctis onto his side. The researcher moved his hands around Noctis hairline then carefully removed the crown from Noctis’ head.

The effect was immediately. Noctis started gasping and coughing and Cyrus moved back at little as thick red phlegm spat out of the prince’s mouth. Noctis continue to gasp his breath becoming short and sharp as his body started to convulse. Cyrus noticed his eyes shift to a gold color briefly before rolling into his head as he started having a seizure. Cyrus cursed under his breath for not bringing any medical supplies and checked his watch.

The seizure stopped after sixty seconds and Noctis’ body fell limp. He was still breathing but he sounded like he was in pain. Cyrus shook his head and looked at Idola and Aurora. “I think he has a lung infection.” He said. “Or something else. He’s not breathing right and he’s too weak for the strain the crown is causing his brain. I’ll need to make adjustments and get him proper-”

“You will keep the crown on his head and we will proceed as planned.” Idola said and Cyrus and Aurora looked at the king than each other.

“My lord, he won’t survive into next week at this rate. He needs-”

“Then we’ll use him to make one of the great kingdoms an example and find another way to harness the power of the Archaeans.” Idola said looking at Cyrus. “We have plenty of information on the crystal, I’m sure you can find a way.”

Cyrus frowned and considered Idola’s words before giving a reluctant nod. “It should not be a problem.” He said, a bitter tone in his voice that went unnoticed by Idola.

“Good, now put the crown back on his head and give him orders to follow Aurora’s command.” Idola said and the woman looked at her king with a frown on her face. “If I recall don’t we still have a subordinate in Altissia?”

“You mean Litus.” Aurora said.

“Yes.” Idola said ideas forming in his head. “Take Noctis to Altissia, have him use the Leviathan to attack the city. Then while you’re freeing Litus, have our prince slaughter everyone he can find, until his heart stops beating.”

Idola’s orders were absolute and Aurora let a weak smile cross her face. She could already imagine the destruction in the city on the water and when word got out that Altissia fell because of the power Niflheim held the rest of the world would fall in line.

Noctis would lead Niflheim to a great victory, even if he did not want to. 

* * *

 It was either a dead end or a trap. As they reached the outpost Litus had mentioned Ignis was positive it was one or the other and he was even more sure that Noctis would not be there. However it was their only lead and still worth some investigation. Getting to the outpost had taken longer than planned because of traffic and once outside it was hard to find, but now that they were in the woods they had found the path leading to it.

The woods were filled with sabretusks, and as he tossed his knife at one monster he saw Luna rush forward and struck another right through it’s throat, her rapier skewering it like something to be barbequed. He was pleased to see she was as diligent in combat as ever, and having an extra swordsman made it easier for him and Prompto to pick off more distant enemies, but it was not the same as having Noctis by there side. He moved out of the way as another sabretusk lunged and struck it in the side.

Had Noctis been with them the young prince would have warped over to wolf like creature and pierced it’s skin with his partisan weapon. Instead the monster managed to recover and prepare to make another strike at him. Gladiolus was thankfully nearby and charged in front, the monster bouncing off his large great sword before the man swung it over his head and slammed it into the sabretusk's skull.

“Behind you Luna!” Prompto yelled firing his gun just as she turned around and see one of the sabretusks lunge at her. The monster yelped as it was knocked out of the air by the bullet, but even knocked down struggled to get to it’s feet to keep moving. Luna did not hesitate, while the monster was still dazed she thrust her rapier into it’s body, stabbing it in the heart. When she pulled the blade out the monster was already dead.

“Any others?” She asked looking around.

“No, I think that’s the last of them.” Gladiolus said taking another look around the area. No other monsters in the area for now, but as he looked around the woods he found himself groaning with frustration. “How much further is this place? If it even exists…”

Ignis took note of their current surroundings. He could see a building in the distance. “Not much farther.” He said and continued to lead them up the path to their destination. He saw Prompto and Luna follow after him and Gladiolus a little bit behind them keeping an eye out for more monsters.

As they got closer Ignis frowned and he heard Prompto groan at the sight of the building. It was fairly large, but dark. “It looks abandoned…” Luna said moving a little closer.

“Yes, but it looks like it was only abandoned recently.” Ignis said as Prompto moved a little closer. The blonde looked around before running at the wall and kicking himself off it to try and grab the window. The young man cried out as he lost his footing and fell onto the ground. Ignis found himself hiding a smile. Luna and Gladiolus chuckled a little before the bodyguard walked over.

“Here, let me give you a bit of a boost.” He said. It was awkward but Prompto managed to get himself on Gladiolus shoulders so he could look into the outpost. It was dusty and there were empty tables with wires.“You see anything?”

“A whole lot of nothing.” Prompto said looking down. “Whoever was here left in a hurry. Think the front door is open?”

A good question. Ignis and Luna began to walk around the building to find some kind of entrance as Prompto climbed off Gladiolus’ shoulders. They found one only to find when they tried pushing or pulling on the door that it was locked. Ignis sighed, of course it would be locked; it would be far too easy if it wasn’t.

“Let me give it a try.” Gladiolus said. He summoned his weapon and with one strong swing slammed his great sword into the door. The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated through the forest as Gladiolus stumbled back after swinging. The man shook his head, “Strong door.”

“You think we can get in through the window?” Prompto asked pointing up at one of the windows in question. He grabbed a rock off the ground and tossed it at the glass. It bounced off.

“It’s likely the glass is bullet resistant. We won’t be able to break in.” Ignis told him. Prompto frowned and made sure his pistol was full.

“You sure about that?”

Prompto aimed at the window and fired two shots. The window remained intact as the bullets got stuck in the glass. Prompto pouted and put his weapon away as Ignis began looking around the other side of the building. There had to be more than one entrance. It would make no sense for an outpost to have only one way in and out of it. And sure enough as he moved around the side of the building he saw it, a rusted door that was partially open. On one hand he felt relieved, on the other the sight was suspicious. He put his hand to the door and pushed it fully open, looking into the long dark hallway ahead of him.

“Iggy?” Ignis looked over to see Gladiolus approaching him with Luna and Prompto behind. Ignis nodded and switched on his flashlight. He moved into the building, slowly. It was quiet, the only noises were his footsteps, and the footsteps of his friends. Then the loud slamming of the door which made them all jump.

“Sorry!” Prompto cried out wincing as Ignis turned to him and the light blinding the blonde for a second. “It was an accident.” The young man whispered. Ignis put his hand to his forehead and counted to five. He really hoped that door would open when they decided to leave this place.

Gladiolus told Luna to stay near him - she had no flashlight - and they went down one hallway while Prompto and Ignis went down another. The whole building was dusty and dark and Luna noticed cobwebs had begun to form on the ceiling. She noticed small eight legged creatures moving about them and visibly shuddered.

She screamed out when she thought she felt something brush against her foot.

“What’s wrong?” Gladiolus turned to look at her. The poor girl looked like she had just jumped out of her skin.

“I-I thought-” Luna stammered looking around down at the floor. She jumped again eyes wide as she was almost positive that she saw a large spider just out of range of Gladiolus’ flashlight. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then glared at Gladiolus when he groaned.

“Spiders? Really?”

“I-I don’t like them.” Luna said crossing her arms, her face turning a very bright red. “They’re icky and - it’s not funny!”

Gladiolus had covered his mouth to hide his laughter, failing to because the chuckles echoed in the hallway. “You’re just as bad as Noct and Prom.” He said and turned to go back down the pathway. Luna glared at him and followed. As quiet as she could she snaked his fingers across his arm.

Gladiolus screamed and turned around at Luna’s laugh. “Okay. Seriously. Not funny.”

“Oh, so it’s funny when you make fun, but when I-”

_“Will you two stop horsing around and get to work?!”_

Ignis voice had been so loud and echoed through the hallways that they both jumped. They then looked at each other and hurried down the hall.

The four searched each of the rooms and while they found a few empty file cabinets and a few scraps of paper that focused on researching the wildlife they found nothing regarding Noctis, Aurora, or anyone. Gladiolus slammed his fist in the wall in frustration.

“This bastard is just screwing with us.” Gladiolus said. Luna said nothing, there really was nothing that she could say to make the situation any better. “I swear when I get back there, I’m gonna make sure he’s locked up somewhere he won’t ever see the light of day.”

“...maybe Prompto and Ignis are having better luck…” Luna suggested but even as she said it she had a feeling that they were having as much luck as they were.

“Wouldn’t hurt to ask...” Gladiolus muttered and she followed him back down the hall keeping an eye out for any other spiders. They found Ignis and Prompto as the blonde was pulling a file cabinet’s drawer out and Ignis tossing some papers onto a table. Ignis looked at them and shook his head.

“Well good news gentlemen, if you want to know how to long it takes for a goblins poison to kill a sabreclaw it’s five days.” Ignis put his hand up to his glasses and steadied himself. “This whole trip was a waste of time.”

“So there’s nothing…” Luna muttered.

“Sorry Luna.” Prompto said, hands in his pockets as he kicked the ground.

Ignis looked up at the window and noted that the sun was beginning to set. They had been inside the abandoned outpost for much longer than he had thought and Altissia’s gates would be closed by the time they made it back to the city.

“We should find somewhere to make camp. Somewhere safe and that is not here.” Ignis said watching his friends and Luna’s faces. They all looked somewhere between frustrated and miserable. Ignis himself felt foolish that he had even considered this trip to be a worthwhile endeavour. 

* * *

There were no garula’s nearby and sabretusk meat was very temperamental when cooking. Outside of a rabbit that Prompo had managed to grab them they had very little for food, but Ignis managed to put together a soup for dinner. It was thinner than he would have liked, and he saw the disappointed but resigned look on Gladiolus’ face. Prompto winced a little at the taste and Luna frowned, but no one said anything other than the usual thank yous.

Conversation was short and uneasy. There was nothing really to talk about. Normally around this time Prompto would have a story to tell, or Gladiolus would be discussing a future training session. If the session was with Noctis the prince would be arguing over when to have it. Gladiolus preferred having them in the morning, Noctis would insist on them being in the afternoon. Because he wanted to sleep.

Ignis wondered if Noctis was sleeping right now…

Because dinner was so quiet they decided to turn in early. No one argued when Prompto volunteered for first watch. There was a little hesitation on where Luna would sleep until she put herself near the front of the tent and curled up on the cot they laid out for her. She looked to be asleep, but Ignis watched her with a frown on his face for a few seconds before taking off his glasses and lying down.

He was woken a few hours later to the sound of shuffling and Prompto’s arms wrapping around him as the blonde tried cuddling up to him in his sleep. Ignis frowned and pushed him off rolling over to make himself more comfortable. He closed his eyes and immediately opened them again and looked at Prompto. He looked over at Gladiolus who was still sleeping. Neither of them were on nightwatch. No one was on night watch.

His eyes fell on the entrance of the tent and he scowled when he noticed Luna was missing. He got up, moved around Prompto, and stepped out of the tent. Luna was sitting on the grass, and there was a light coming from her tablet. Ignis took a few steps closer to see she had switched it to the camera setting. She lifted it up, then stopped and looked behind her.

“Oh.” Luna muttered a little startled by his presence. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“I was. Prompto woke me up.” Ignis said, “I was under the impression he was taking first watch.”

“He seemed tired.” Luna said looking away from him, “And I couldn’t sleep anymore so I offered to take over for him.”

“I see.” Ignis said then fell quiet again as Luna lifted her tablet up and snapped a picture, but frowned when she saw the results. Ignis could not help but look over her shoulder to see that when she took a picture of the moon it looked smaller and more blurry than it did in the sky.

“Why does it keep doing that?”

“Because your tablet doesn’t have a telephoto lens. Prompto has the same problem with his phone.” Ignis said taking a seat next to her. “Why are you taking a picture of the moon?”

“It looks really pretty tonight. So do the stars...” Luna said trailing off. Ignis noticed her voice become a little choked and she turned off the camera. “They look really nice out here, Noctis would like to see them.”

“He would if he could stay awake to.” He said. Luna nodded and frowned.

“It feels wrong going in circles like this. I feel like we should be in NIflheim but-”

“We could always try ramming the front gates and get killed by the gunman at the wall.” Ignis suggested and Luna frowned, not really appreciating the sarcasm in the suggestion, but knowing that he was right. “Unfortunately this isn't a movie, if it were we wouldn't be playing word games with politicians or be camped out in the woods.”

“I don’t like these games.” Luna said, then laughed a bitter laugh, “Probably not the words you expect to hear from someone that plays them regularly.”

Ignis smirked, “Have you forgotten I’m an advisor to the royal family? I play the game just as much as you do. It’s only a fun one when you’re winning.”

“And the worst if you lose.” Luna said, a small smile on her face that faded as she remembered that the reason they were going in circles was because they were losing. She looked down at the grass she was sitting in. “I still haven’t heard anything from Solheim.”

“That’s unusual. It’s not like Solheim to be so quiet.” Ignis said. Solheim was a close ally of Lucis’, Regis had always spoken highly of the kingdom and it was one of the few far away places Noctis was willing to tolerate traveling to - time zone changes were difficult for him. Noctis described the country as having ‘good napping weather with nice beaches.’ “When we return to Altissia tomorrow I will try contacting the king, perhaps the messenger you got was incompetent.”

“I hope you’re right.” Luna said looking away from him and back to the sky.

* * *

There was no life in Noctis’ eyes. Filius could see that as he stared at the young man in question. After testing, Noctis had been taken back to his cell and Idola just had him stand in the room looking at the wall. What exactly his grandfather was hoping to accomplish by having Noctis just stand there and stare at the wall was beyond him. He looked like a child that had been punished stealing cookies out of the cookie jar.

“Noctis.” Filius called him. Noctis had no reaction. He did not move, or say anything. Somehow Filius found this to be worse than when Noctis was huddled on the floor a few days ago. He had been struggling to hold on to himself that day, but now? Now he was nothing more than a puppet. A doll his grandfather had Aurora’s brother abuse and toss around for fun. And now that the doll was mangled and broken, and about to be thrown away, while killing millions of people in the process.

Filius hated the other nations quite a bit for abandoning Niflheim, but he liked to think he had enough sense to not let his pride get in the way of the fact that revenge would do nothing for his people. So he pulled out the knife he had been hiding under his jacket and walked up to Noctis. He turned the man around, staring into those blank eyes. The grey that told him Noctis was exhausted was so dark it was almost black. Noctis was at his breaking point, if he did not have the crown on his head he’d be unconscious on  the floor.

“I’m sorry….” Filius muttered and put the knife to Noctis’ neck. Just one quick slash and it would all be over. Noctis would not even feel it because of the crown, he’d just drop dead. He pushed the blade into the skin, drops of blood forming on the blade. Then he stopped.

He was hesitating. Why was he hesitating? With one strike he could bring his grandfather’s plans to destroy Altissia to an end. There would be nothing to worry about. Why was he hesitating?

Because if Noctis died than no one would be there to stop his grandfather. The reason the other nations even considered fighting back was because Noctis was still alive. If Noctis died...Idola would win his mad game. No one would be able to stop him from using the crystal to destroy anyone that opposed him. Filius glared at the young man in front of him, not angry with him, but with himself for not realizing it sooner. He moved the knife away from Noctis’ neck and put it back in its sheath.

He then after some consideration tied the knife to Noctis’ belt. He was not sure why, perhaps he hoped that the next time he saw Noctis, that same knife would be going through his grandfather’s throat. “You’ll get through this.” He said putting hands on Noctis’ shoulders. “You’ll be fine.”

Noctis said nothing, just stared, and Filius realized he was still fooling himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need a break. Like seriously this story has me exhausted and I kinda just want to take a break. I'll try and have the next chapter out next week. If not expect a new one shot.


	7. The Wrath of the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Combat is fun to write but utterly boring to edit. And my head hurts.
> 
> Thank you all for staying with me and the kind messages you all sent on tumblr <3\. Also Happy Tokyo Game Show! *flops*

Morning was slow to rise, but when it did Gladiolus and Prompto began packing the car so they could return to Altissia. The two packed up the tent while Luna and Ignis got the chairs. It was a silent, almost uncomfortable morning. Not even the wildlife had woken up yet. There were no signs of birds or monsters so the group climbed down to the regalia and put their things in the trunk.

“I swear to Etro when we get back there I’m going to make that bastard wish he never screwed with us.” Gladiolus said and Ignis nodded in agreement.

“I would not mind giving him a piece of my mind.” He said. “What did he hope to get from this?”

“A few laughs?” Luna asked. She sighed and looked at him. “He knows we’re worried, he knew we’d go looking because we’re desperate. He probably could have said they brought him back to Lucis and we would have gone there.”

“Well he is right. We are desperate.” Ignis said. Desperate enough to go on a wild goose chase searching for a man who hasn’t been on this continent for two weeks.

“Well what do we do now?” Prompto asked. His question was met with silence, with Litus’ lead being a dud they were back where they were before. Prompto sighed, put his hands in his pockets, and kicked the ground. Like the others his frustration was worry for his best friend, but he found himself a little more interested in wringing a certain prisoner’s neck than anything else.

He was shaken from those thoughts by the sound of nearby airships and looked up at the sky. His eyes widened as he realized they were warships. “Uh guys, think we might have a problem.” He said as he looked up.

Ignis recognized the design of the ships right away, he remembered them from when they saw the attack on Lucis. They were Niflheim airships and they were on course for Altissia.

* * *

Aurora had to admit seeing Noctis just stare at nothing was unnerving. He was unresponsive to everything around him except when she gave an order or two. He did not even react when magitek troops bumped into him. He just stood there or stumbled into the wall without protest. He didn’t even make any noise. Aurora took a few steps closer looking him over.

“Noctis look at me.” Aurora said and the boy turned his head to her. She shuddered, that half lidded stare was creepier when he turned to look at her than when she just approached him from the front. She shook her head, annoyed that it even made her uncomfortable. She moved out of the way and motioned to the other end of the ship. “Walk to there.” She said. She had been doing this once every few hours to make sure he did not get too stiff. He needed to be at his strongest for the attack, not that it would matter once the invasion began. Maybe if he somehow survived he could be taken back to Niflheim so Cyrus could continue working with him.

Her brother on her mind Aurora pulled out her phone and dialed a phone number. She listened to the buzzing on the other end and then heard an automated message telling her to enter her security code. She did so and was connected to another line. _“Hello?”_

“Hey it’s me.” Aurora said taking a look out the window. “We’re almost at Altissia. To bad you can’t see it from here.”

_“I’ve never been fond of heights, I’d probably just hide in a corner.”_

“It’s an airship Cyrus. There is no corner.”

The young man made a noise that sounded like groan on the other end. He then asked, _“How’s he doing?”_

“He’s fine.” Aurora said looking over at Noctis who was staring out the window taking nothing in. “Sorry you’re going to lose him.”

 _“So am I.”_ Cyrus said. She heard him sigh. _“Idola is throwing away a good opportunity. Just a few more weeks and proper medical attention and I’d have a way for us to control the magic in this damn rock.”_

“You can still figure it out right?”

_“Eventually, but we’re talking a difference between weeks and months.”_

“Then I don’t see the problem. Let Idola make his mistake, he’ll have no one to blame but himself.” Aurora said.

_“He’ll blame me.”_

“Well if he does you’re far too valuable for him to get rid of. And I won’t let him.” Aurora told him. “How’s Filius?”

_“Angry. You’re worried about him?”_

“Yeah.” She said looking back at Noctis for a brief moment. “He’s wrong. It won’t matter how we take Altissia, no one is going to know how we gained control of Leviathan, they’ll just assume it’s because we have control of the crystal. No one will know otherwise.”

_“You’re sure?”_

Aurora took a deep breath. She was not sure, but she was not going to say that out loud.“I need to make last minute preparations. Keep an eye on the news, next top story, ‘Altissia destroyed by guardian archaean’.”

 _“I guess I have something to look forward too then.”_ Cyrus said but he sounded distracted and their was the sound of papers being looked though in the background. The two said their goodbyes and Aurora put her cell phone back in her pocket. She turned her attention back to Noctis.

“Turn around.” She said and Noctis did so. Aurora walked over to him and put a hand to his neck, checking his pulse, than his forehead. He was still burning up, he actually felt hotter than he did last night and his skin had taken on a yellow tone. He was getting worse. Still she smiled, the idea of the prince dying for Niflheim brought a twisted irony to his mission to save Lucis. “You’re going to do great things today.” She told him. Noctis gave no response.

The airship carrying Aurora and Noctis landed on the outskirts of the capital, near the frozen lake Leviathan called it’s resting place. Once secure, the dock opened and Aurora stepped out, having Noctis follow her and stopping him at the edge of the cliff. She looked up to see the other airships approaching the city. It was almost time.

“Noctis begin gathering magic, beckon Leviathan to come to you.” She ordered. At first Noctis did nothing, but then the air began to change. Aurora was not sure what it was but as Noctis lifted his hand to the partly frozen lake below the atmosphere seemed to bend and twist. It became hot at first, then cool and misty as though water was beginning to form around them. She could feel the magic in the air around them and the ground felt like it moved beneath her feet.

There was the loud crack of ice breaking and a splash of water so high that it towered over the airship, but as the towering waterfall dropped Aurora found herself gazing upon the large elegant sea serpent that was Leviathan. The water on the Archaean’s scales made her glisten in the sunlight, her presence blinding. Aurora watched as the beast gazed at the Lucis prince slowly lowering its body so that it’s face was meeting hers. Noctis had no reaction other than to put his hand to his side and let the Archaean observe him.

There was something in the air, a whispering of an old language that made Aurora put a hand to her head. The beast was speaking to Nocti,s asking with an heir of elegance why he called him. It’s voice was powerful yet gentle and it was as it spoke Aurora realized it was far smarter than it’s beastly appearance implied. Within seconds it turned it’s gaze from Noctis to her and then the Niflheim airships and let out a loud angry roar.

The beast knew Noctis had not called it of his own will, that the prince blessed by the crystal was being manipulated. Aurora almost lost her balance as the wind picked up and the water around them began to splash up with life. Aurora took a look at Leviathan, then Noctis, then to the capital city in the distance.

“Noctis, turn Leviathan’s power to Altissia!” She shouted and at first Noctis did nothing but then he raised his hand again and the magic began to well up, sparks of light grabbing onto the Archaean in front of them. She cried out in pain as Noctis’ slowly overwhelmed her. More whispers as the majestic beast tried to call out to him, tried to break through whatever was influencing him. All it did was make Noctis head become more heavy, the prince’s thoughts already mangled by the crowns hold.

The prince turned his attention to Altissia and as he did Leviathan’s power was turned against the city she swore to protect. The magic and water came in waves, waves so powerful it would topple the buildings in minutes. 

* * *

The Altissian palace was covered in blood and bodies and Litus was quite pleased with himself as he played with a box of cigarette that he looted from one of the corpses. He could not remember the last time he had a good smoke. So he lit one of the cigarettes and took a breath. He then sputtered into a coughing fit.

“Terrible.” He said and threw the pack off the palace roof. He looked up and shrugged seeing the wave of water rapidly approaching with a smirk on his face. Something was happening. Something big. If the wave and magic did not give that away then the airships flying overhead did.

“Impressive, Idola sent quite the rescue team.” He said a smirk on his face. He stretched himself out and laid down on the roof ready to watch the glorious sight. 

* * *

Ignis and the others stared in shock at the sight of not only Niflheim Warships approaching the city, but the fact the Leviathan itself had attacked it. The air had become thick not just from the silence as the four sat in the car just off the road but also because of the powerful magic that they felt. It was not just the power that made them come to a halt, but the familiarity of it; the way the magic moved about was similar to how a certain someone drew his spells.

“Highness…” Ignis muttered in disbelief as Luna stood up in her seat. The wind tangled her hair as she saw the mighty Leviathan collapse into the ocean and ships move closer to the capital city, but it was the magic that had shocked her into standing. She closed her eyes feeling what was left of it in the air.

“We have to hurry.” She said getting there attention. “Noctis is nearby, he might even be in the city.”

“Yes, but wouldn’t that mean…” Ignis started only trailing off when he saw Prompto quickly shake his head.

“No! There’s no way that was Noct!” Prompto said, “He would never...Niflheim’s….why?!”

“The crystal?” Gladiolus suggested and Ignis nodded in agreement. Noctis would never willingly work for Niflheim, they had to be using him. One of the scientists must have figured out how to use him as a catalyst to control Leviathan. And Ignis would stick to that train of thought until he learned otherwise. The advisor started the regalia’s engine and ordered Luna to sit down before speeding off toward the city.

They stopped just outside the gate, the bombs being dropped by the warships and the sudden downpour of rain making it difficult for the regalia to travel the streets. The whole place was a mess as water splashed against the buildings kicking up rocks and dirt. Altissia’s military was disoriented but struggling to find civilians in the chaos and try to bring them to predetermined safe zones. Luna remembered that Altissia’s politicians had ensured her that the city had several key evacuation points but as she saw the ships above them dropping magitek soldiers she worried for the people running around the city as it devolved into chaos.

It was obvious that the city was not even close to as prepared as they believed, they probably expected Leviathan to defend them, not attack them. Magitek soldiers were dropped in by the dozens, armed with guns, axes and swords. Luna rushed forward, rapier in hand as several approached civilians in the area and stabbed her blade through one's chest and then quickly it’s head. Gladiolus was right behind her and Ignis and Prompto directed civilians to nearby soldiers.

“Guys, there’s more coming!” Prompto shouted pointing out several more soldiers suddenly appearing on the streets. Ignis motioned for them to follow him down a narrow pathway out of the soldiers line of sight. They crossed through an alleyway and into another street. Magitek troops were already in the area and some noticed and turned to attack. Luna blocked one soldier’s axe with her sword while Prompto shot it in the head immediately causing it to shut down.

“This is so not good.” He said shooting another a few times in the chest and then leg to make it fall over. “Iggy behind you!”

Prompto’s warning allowed Ignis to move out of the way of an oncoming attack just in time and he drove one of his knives into the drones neck. It was still functioning, so he pushed it away called back his weapon and threw the knife between it’s eyes. “Thank you.” He said as he heard and saw Gladiolus finish off his opponent.

“Already there’s to many of them.” He shouted looking around. He suddenly had an idea why Lucis fell so quickly. Magitek soldiers were cheap and easy to dispose of, but had great numbers.  “At this rate they’ll take the city.”

Ignis nodded to himself knowing Gladiolus was right. And as they took the city they would also go for the castle. They had already tried to infiltrate the castle once and security was still recovering, it would be easy for them to attack again. He was hesitant to admit it, but without Leviathan, Altissia was in a hopeless situation. “We need to find Noctis and get out of here.” He said, but that was easier said than done. They had no idea where Noctis could be, he could have been in the city, but he could have been on one of the airships.

It was then that he felt magic again and and heard thunder followed by a flash of lightning. A powerful and very unstable lightning spell crashed down several blocks from them, the spell dissipating almost as soon as it touched down. Luna’s eyes widened, and without hesitating, ran in the direction of the spell, the other men following her as she worked her way down the streets past people running away from the direction of the attack. She stumbled as she turned down the road almost slipping in the rain.

As she turned the corner she stopped as she saw a flurry of blades fly past her and felt the heat of a powerful and unstable warp.

She followed the after images of the warp, stopping just in time to see several translucent swords strike through a half dozen Altissian soldiers and a more solid blade strike through the chest of one more. Her eyes widened in disbelief, but when the attacker turned around she found herself face to face with the one person she had been hoping to see alive for over two weeks. Just not like this.

“Noct?” She asked staring at the blood on his sword and then his face. He looked less like the tired yet happy man she had fallen in love with and more like a husk just barely clinging to life. The look in his eyes was all wrong, hollow and empty like he was an empty shell. He took a step forward and Luna found herself putting her hands up letting her weapon fade from view.

“Noctis it’s me, Luna!” She called to him. He did not react to her words and continued to move closer, the grip on his weapon unchanged. Luna looked to the dead bodies just behind him then back up at him. “Noctis, please stop. Whatever happened, we can help.”

“You heard her, stop.”

Another voice and Noctis stopped moving. Luna watched him noticing that even as he stared at her his eyes weren't taking anything in. Luna was ready to run up to him and wrap her arms around his thin frame, but stopped herself as she saw Aurora approach. Luna glared at her and immediately recalled her weapon. By that point Ignis and the others had managed to catch up to her, and Prompto froze for a second as he saw Noctis standing in front of them.

“Noct!” He cried out rushing forward before being stopped by Ignis. “Let go of me!” He yelled at him then turned back to his friend, “Noct! What are you doing? Get away from her!”

Noctis did not move or even acknowledge Prompto said anything.

“Keep trying to talk to him, he can’t hear you.” Aurora told him putting a hand on Noctis shoulder, a gesture the prince had no reaction too. Gladiolus glared at her, something about how she touched Noctis made anger flare up in him.

“Take your hand off him right now or-”

“Or what? You’ll kill me? You’ll have to get past him first.” She said then looked at him, and spoke to him. “There’s something quite poetic about you taking your friend's and love's lives isn’t there. Question, which one will you kill first? If you could pick, which one would you want dead the most?”

Noctis was silent and Luna was left to wonder why he was not doing anything, why he was not saying anything, and why when she looked into his eyes she saw no light in them. “Noctis, please don’t listen to her.”

“No, he will listen to me. Idola’s orders.” Aurora said looking at them then back to the prince, “Those four, kill them. Don’t hold back.”

She let go of his shoulder and Noctis immediately sprang into action rushing for them, the blades from his Armiger Arsenal floating around him as he lunged. Luna prepared to defend herself already well aware of the possibility that she would not be able to hold off the attack, but Gladiolus was one step ahead of her. The moment Noctis aimed to strike with his silver sword the man was in front of her blocking with his large blade, his strength far greater than Noctis could manage.

“The hell you doing Noct? Snap out of it!” Gladiolus yelled at him. The prince’s expression did not change, instead he warped back, replaced his silver blade with a great sword of his own and lunged forward again, ignoring how the sword weighed him down and scraped against the road. That was not how Noctis normally handled his greatsword, he usually only summoned it for strong single strikes because it was to heavy. Gladiolus knew that as he countered Noctis swing trying to knock him off balance but also trying not to hurt him. “Noct, stop it!” He yelled as the prince stumbled back.

Noctis did not stop, when he recovered his arsenal of weapons closed around him ready launch forward at his command.

“Noct stop!”

“Highness, no!”

Luna’s eyes widened as she looked between them and then to Noctis. She could feel magic leaking off him. She closed her eyes and found that she could still grab onto to it, just because Noctis was fighting them did not mean she could not harness his magic, he seemed unaware that she was trying to, but if she did what would happen to him? Would she hurt him? Would he collapse?

The benefits outweighed the consequences. They could not help him if they were dead. So she drew the necessary magic she could and concentrated it into her blade. “Sorry Noct.” She muttered, the others just barely hearing her as she slammed her blade into the ground. The effect was immediate, ice danced around the ground until it was under Noctis feet at which point it sprang upward knocking him off his feet and wrapping itself around his arms and legs. The translucent swords faded as he struggled against the ice as it encased everything below his elbows and waist.

The spell stopped there and Luna swayed a little, feeling dizzy from drawing so much from him and sick at the thought she actually had to attack her fiancé. Prompto put his hands on her shoulders to steady her as Ignis rushed forward.

“Highness.” He said stopping several inches from the man. He put a hand to Noctis face, “By Etro what have they done to you?”

Noctis did not answer his question and when he struggled against the ice his facial expression was unchanged. Ignis frowned and waved a hand in front of the prince’s eyes. No reaction, he didn’t even blink or acknowledge Ignis hand had been there. “Noctis?” He asked then noticed the ice was melting and magic was concentrated into Noctis right hand.

“Iggy watch out!”

Ignis moved out of the way just in time as Noctis smashed away his icy prison with a powerful fire spell and summoned his silver sword. The prince thrust the blade forward, but the movement was to slow and he just barely missed Ignis stomach. The advisor quickly knocked Noctis off balance and and distanced himself. “Noctis snap out of-” He stopped. Aurora said that he could not hear them. But he listened to her. “Prompto, Luna, find Aurora and get her to tell us how to stop him. She’s probably going to the castle, go!”

When Ignis was giving the orders it was best to follow them so before Noctis could regain his balance, Prompto and Luna rushed down the road to the castle leaving Ignis and Gladiolus to defend themselves against their best friend. The two knew they had to hurry, they did not want to think what could happen if they could not reach Aurora in time. And as they left Noctis regained his balance and lunged at Ignis and Gladiolus. 

* * *

Aurora was a little surprised at how easy it was for her to approach the castle but as she noticed the dead bodies in the garden she started putting the pieces together. Litus had been keeping himself busy. She walked through the palace gate, a knife in hand as she started down the entrance and then opened that door. It was not locked and she looked around to find that no one was attempting to ambush her. So she opened it all the day and stepped inside.

Litus had been very busy.

She looked around as she entered the castle and began walking down the hall ignoring the sight of blood on the walls and corpses lining the hallway and made her way out into the castle's courtyard. The grass in the courtyard was oddly clean, apparently Litus did not want to get blood in the garden. She stepped out and looked around before turning her gaze upward to the palace roof. There the man was in his dirty jacket, his purplish-red hair a mess from lack of care. “Hey.” He said waving to her.

“What the hell you doing up there?”

“Watching the show.” Litus said pointing over to the sight of airships dropping bombs on the city. “Gotta say Leviathan’s entrance was beautiful, to bad she made such a shaky exit.”

Aurora shrugged but had a smile on her face.  “You think you can get down there? I’m supposed to be rescuing you from prison.”

“Alright alright.”

Litus climbed down and landed clumsily on the grass. He winced as his bones ached a bit and he stretched himself out. Sitting in a dirty jail cell for almost two weeks with little room to work out was making him realize how old he was. It did not help that he had a serious nicotine craving. “Hey you have any good cigs on you? The stuff Altissia has is shit.”

Aurora rolled her eyes and called one of the ships to send them a dropship for pickup. They thankfully did not have to wait long, the drop ship was automated and sent from the nearest vessel. Once it was in view it landed in the palace courtyard as Aurora requested. The back opened and Litus gave her a mock bow.

“Lady’s first.” He said a grin on his face that Aurora gave a confused look to. Still she lead the way to the back of the ship, Litus following. The sound of a bullet bouncing off the dropships exterior got there attention.

“Whoops. I missed.” Prompto said as the two turned around to see the blonde shooter and Luna watching them. Aurora frowned, displeased by their presence.

“I thought I told him to kill you.”

“Yeah well, Noct’s only one guy. He can’t chase after all of us.” Prompto said and while his voice was light there was a cold glare on his face.

“What did you do to Noctis?” Luna asked. “Why is he helping Niflheim and why is he attacking us?”

“Technically I didn’t do anything.” Aurora said. It was true, she was not actually involved in the development of the slave crown, she was just ordering it’s victim around. “I only captured him, handed him to Idola, and then Idola gave him to our scientists to use as a plaything. And now he’s ours.”

Luna glared at her, a tight grip on her rapier. “Tell him to stop.”

“I'm not going to tell him to stop.” Aurora told her, “Noctis is going to bring glory to Niflheim, he will be remembered in history as Lucis' traitorous prince. The one who helped Idola bring the rest of the world to it’s knees. You should be proud, he was originally going to rot in a cell like a dog.”

“Sucks not getting your way, huh princess-to-be.” Litus said with a shrug ignoring the glare on the young woman’s face. He had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but he was going to play along anyway. He turned to the ship. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to be getting-”

Prompto fired another shot, this time at Litus’ feet. “Take another step. I dare you.” Litus looked at where Prompto had fired, a frown on his face, then grinning as amusement crossed him.

He took another step, drew a pistol he had swiped from a guard, and fired. The two blondes moved out of the way Prompto pushing Luna back behind the wall before turning back and firing again as Aurora and Litus took cover behind drop ship. Aurora then took out her long knives and when Litus opened fire rushed for the spot Prompto and Luna were hiding. She moved so fast that when Prompto saw her he did not have time to react. **  
**

Luna did. She step forward and blocked Aurora’s attack with her rapier. She shoved her back and immediately lunged forward as Prompto turned his attention to Litus to keep him busy and off her.

Despite Luna’s lunge, Aurora was able to outmaneuver her, flipping back and flipping her knife in her hand. She blocked Luna’s strike using the short range to her advantage to kick the girl in the stomach. Luna took a few steps back blocking the attacks with her and finding and trying to find an opening and side stepping Aurora when the dark haired woman pushed too far. She tried to get her then and there but Aurora was much faster turning and hurling one of her blades with the intent to kill. Luna just barely got out of the way in time for the blade to hit the wall.

“Fast one aren’t you.” Aurora said.  She blocked Luna’s blade as the girl thrust it forward. “But not fast enough to save your sweetheart!”

She shoved Luna off her and went in for the girl just as the blonde steadied herself ready to counter her back. 

* * *

Ignis had no idea what to do given the situation. He did not want to fight Noctis because he did not want to hurt him, but also knew that if he and Gladiolus did not fight than it was very likely the prince would kill them. So until he could come up with a plan the two did their best to defend themselves and keep Noctis from getting another chance to summon his Armiger Arsenal.

It was when he had locked blades with Noctis’ that he was able to get a good look at the prince’s eyes. The grey color that indicated exhaustion was so dark that he was convinced Noctis’ eyes were black, and those same eyes had dark circles under them and were bloodshot. Noctis was exhausted beyond all reason and yet somehow he was still going. Ignis had no idea how, but feared what could happen if Noctis continued attacking them in his current state. “Highness, please you need to stop.” He pleaded with the prince who just stared at him as his blade was locked to his. “You’re exhausted. You need to rest.”

Noctis broke the blade block and was about to strike Ignis down when he suddenly warped out of the way when Gladiolus made himself known with a vertical strike. “I don’t think this is gonna work Iggy. We have to wear him down.”

“He’s already worn down and he’s still moving.” Ignis said.

“Well, we have to do something!”

“Like what?” Ignis asked. If Ignis was asking questions it meant they had no answers. Ignis did in fact have a few, they could try and knock him out, or they could use a sleep spell, but neither option was viable - let alone safe - if Noctis kept moving around. Standing still was not on Noctis’ priority list, the Prince was warping again to make way for another flurry of attacks.

That was when the ground rumbled and more water burst into the air. The roar of Leviathan echoed through the remains of the city causing a downpour of fresh rain. Ignis and Gladiolus gazed up at the beast and Noctis suddenly became still as the magic in the air became thick and heavy. Ignis eyes turned to Noctis, who stumbled hand to his head before collapsing on the ground.

“Noct!/Highness!” Gladiolus and Ignis called to him as he fell over, and rushed to his side. Gladiolus got to him first lifting him up a little. Noctis’ hand moved as though trying to attack before falling limp by his side. Leviathan’s cry was like a song, a soothing song that seemed to break through whatever it was that Aurora did to make Noctis attack them. The prince became completely still, his eyes half open as he stared at sky and Ignis checked his pulse and put a hand on his forehead.

Noctis pulse was weak and he was burning up even as the cool rain touched his skin. It was with him still that Ignis got a chance to really notice that Noctis wrists and ankles were torn up and he was without shoes. They were covered with dry blood and pussy. Ignis took a deep breath fearing the worst as Gladiolus held him closer to try and shield him from the rain. 

* * *

The rain and cries of the Archaean had distracted Aurora long enough for Luna to pin her to a wall and jab her rapier into the dark haired woman’s stomach. She gasped in shock as Luna twisted the blade into her. “Don’t make me say this again. Tell us how to get Noct to stop!” She demanded, but her demanded sounded weak as her voice strained and Aurora smirked at her desperation. The gunshots in the background were white noise to the two women.

“You want him to stop, you have to take off the crown.” Aurora said, “As long as that’s on his head, he won’t stop until his heart stops beating.”

“The crown?” Luna asked. “What are you talking about?”

Aurora didn’t answer, she just sighed grabbed the blade and pulled it out of her stomach, to Luna’s horror. “Aurora!” Luna cried out as the woman collapsed on the ground. She suddenly became aware of the gunshots around her just in time to see Prompto shoot Litus and rush over to her and grab her hand.

“We gotta go.” Prompto said leading her over to the dropship. The blonde checked the front to make sure no one else was on the ship and then looked over the controls. He pushed a button which caused the back to close catching Luna off guard.

“What are you doing?”

“The set up on this isn’t that different from Lucis’ dropships. I might be able to get us out of here.” Prompto said looking at her. “Take a seat, this might be a rough take off.”

Luna did not need to be told twice. Technically Prompto did pass his flight exams, but he was reckless and never properly flew anything. Once she was seated the ship jerked to life and he then turned off the automatic piloting. “Alright I’m in charge now.” Prompto said and Luna decided she would contemplate whether that was a good thing or not later. Once they were stable she got up and looked out the windows.

They checked the street they went up to reach the castle and Luna noticed three black lums in the rain. Prompto carefully landed the ship and opened the back. Luna ran outside. “In here! Hurry.”

Ignis stared wide eyed but did not bother to ask questions, they climbed in and once the door was shut Gladiolus laid Noctis on the floor. Luna was by his side in seconds almost unsure where to to lay a hand on him before putting one on his arm and another on his cheek.

“Noct?” She said looking at his hollow and dark eyes. “Noct, can you hear me?” She asked. No response. He just stared at the ceiling, eyes half lidded. The only sign he was still alive was his ragged breathing. Her hand started shaking as she looked at him, tears streaming down her face. “Noctis, please wake up.”

“Gladio help me search this thing.” Ignis said already going through some of the bags and holdings above them. “We need to find medical supplies and blankets. He needs to be dried off.”

The trip out of the city was silent, the only noises being Gladiolus and Ignis searching for stuff and Luna’s soft sobs as she gently laid herself next to Noctis and tried to hold him in a vain attempt to keep him warm. Prompto looked over to them then back out at Altissia just in time to see Leviathan let out a roar before diving back into the water below. 

* * *

The flight was short, once outside the city and in the open fields the rain let up and was replaced with the warm sun. Prompto landed the small drop ship once they were far enough from the chaos and opened the back. Luna moved out of the way so Gladiolus could pick Noctis up and take him outside. He laid him on the grass as Ignis continued to search for supplies. Luna was next to him and Prompto followed out and got his first good look at his best friend.

“Oh shit…” He muttered finding himself shaking his head in disbelieve. He had never seen anyone look as bad as Noctis currently did. He looked more like a skeleton with skin stretched across him. “How could they do this to him?”

“Niflheim will pay for this.” Gladiolus said having trouble looking at the state of the boy he saw as a younger brother.

“Idola will get what’s coming to him.” Luna said, “But right now I just want Noctis to wake up.” She ran her fingers along his cheek letting them move up to his hairline and into his tangled hair. It was when she did so that her fingers touched metal and she frowned. She moved some of the strands away to see a thin band of metal on his head.

“What is that?” She heard Prompto ask. Luna let her fingers follow the band noting that it went completely around Noctis head. Her eyes widened as she remembered Aurora’s words.

“Ignis! You need to take a look at this!” She yelled.

Ignis was still searching the ship and had  managed to find a first aid kit and a few bottles of lukewarm water. He climbed out of the ship to join him and Prompto moved out of the way as Ignis took his spot next to Noctis. “Look.” Luna said moving some of Noctis hair out of the way so he could see the band. “Aurora said the only way to stop him was to take off the crown.”

“Take off the crown…” Ignis said frowning as the information sunk in. He knew what this was, he saw it in all the files on outlawed weaponry and remembering this one made him uneasy. “This is a slave crown.”

“What?” Luna asked eyes wide. “But that’s...” She found herself trailing off, unable to form words as she looked at the crown sitting on Noctis head. She knew Idola was mad, but she did not think he would stoop so low. She shook her head trying to get her thoughts together. “Can we remove it safely?”

“There’s no safe way to remove a slave crown.” Ignis said choosing his words carefully and then putting his fingers to the band. “When I take this off, anything could happen to him. He could spring to life or he could...”

The air was silence between the four of them. Finally Luna spoke up. “Do it.”

“...Yeah.” Prompto said his voice unnatural quiet. “Take it off.”

Ignis looked to Gladiolus who nodded his head. “You heard them. We’re ready for whatever happens.”

Ignis nodded, but had a frown on his face. They said they were ready, but he could tell they were all just as nervous as he was. After hesitating Ignis carefully slid the crown off Noctis’ head. There was no response at first, then Noctis breathing became rougher and heavier. The prince’s eyes widened as his body started to shake like he was freezing. “Highness.” He watched as Noctis eyes darted around and he blinked rapidly. “Highness, can you hear me?”

Noctis didn’t answer, he started to gasp for air his eyes shifting from the black they had become to a bright gold color. His body shook more violently and Ignis motioned for Luna to move away as he rolled Noctis onto his side. Noctis gasps became more choked and his body began to convulse. Ignis heard Luna and Prompto say something but ignored them as he began to time Noctis’ seizure.

It took almost two minutes for Noctis to settle down and when he did he was coughing. Prompto winced at the painful wet sounding cough as something thick and bloody spat out of the prince’s mouth. He then went limp, the only clue he had not completely lost consciousness being the shivering and him moaning in pain. Ignis continued to watch him waiting for Noctis to start coming around. Luna knelt back down next to him. “Noct?” She asked and Noctis’ only response was a small high pitched noise.

“Give him a few more minutes.” Ignis told her and she nodded but stayed close to him. Ignis began fishing through the first aid kit and found a small cloth. He unscrewed one of the bottles of water and soaked the cloth before putting it on Noctis head. Once it touched Noctis skin, the prince sighed, his breathing becoming a little more relaxed. It looked like it was helping a little so Ignis used the opportunity to finish looking through the first aid kit. It had bandages, gauze, and bacitracin but little else that could be useful. He looked back up when he heard Noctis groan and shift a little, the rag falling off his forehead. Luna picked it up and put it back on then ran her fingers through his hair.

Once her fingers touched his skin Noctis’ cried out and tried pulling away curling up into a small ball. Luna pulled back, eyes wide, shocked by Noctis’ reaction. Ignis moved a little to to try and steady him. “Highness, it’s okay, it’s us. You’re safe.”

He touched Noctis’ shoulder and the prince screamed and curled up tighter. His body shook, his eyes shut tight in fear. Ignis felt a lump form in his throat. The others looked at him and each other with feelings of dread sinking over them. Noctis kept shaking, his cries turning into frightened sobs as the others watched him. He had no idea what was going on, only that he was in a bad place and everything hurt.

Ignis watched the scene then with great reluctance put a hand over Noctis head, but did not touch him knowing he’d panic. He closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to draw magic through Noctis. It was difficult, the threads that Noctis normally drew from felt tangled and distorted but slowly he was able to draw something. Noctis was becoming less shaky as fatigue set in, but Ignis took it a step further. He carefully released the spell he had been forming, his hand glowing a soft green and Noctis started to settle down. “You’re going to be okay highness,” He said even though he was fairly sure Noctis could not hear him, “I just need you to sleep for a little while. You’ll be fine. I promise.”

He finished casting the spell and when he moved his hand away Noctis was asleep. His breathing was ragged but at the same time oddly soft. Luna, Prompto, and Gladiolus watched him, then Luna moved her hand back to Noctis face. No reaction. He was deeply asleep. “Sleep well Noct.” She told him and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. 

* * *

With Noctis asleep Ignis requested the others give him some space so he could check the extent of his injuries. Gladiolus and Prompto kept on the lookout for monsters while Luna had taken Ignis’ phone and was searching for the nearest hospital. “So far we’re clear.” Gladiolus said, “No monsters and no Niflheim soldiers trying to come after us.”

That was good news, and probably the only good news they had at the moment. Ignis checked Noctis’ blood and pus covered wrists then the needle marks on his arm. The veins were dark and thick a clear sign of a bad infection. His right arm was broken and not properly set, messed up so bad that applying pressure to it made Noctis wince in his sleep. Ignis groaned when he pulled Noctis shirt up and saw the bruises covering his stomach and chest. Many were still fresh and when he put a hand to to Noctis ribs it felt like some were cracked or even broken. Just as bad if not worse was how sunken in Noctis stomach was, he looked like he had been left to starve to death.

He pulled down Noctis’ shirt and then checked his legs and ankles. To his relief - and surprise even - outside of some bruising and a few scrapes, Noctis’ legs were mostly untouched. He wished he could say the same about Noctis’ ankles, they were just as bloody and pussy as his wrists. His feet were covered in fresh blood from fighting in the street. He was soaked from the rain, which combined with his current state made Ignis worry about him catching pnumonia.

With his assessment done Ignis let out a loud breath getting the groups attention and looked up at them. “I have no idea where to start.” He said. “He needs antibiotics, his right arm is broken and not healing properly...he’s suffering severe malnutrition. We don’t even know yet what the slave crown did to his brain, or how long it’s been on him…” Ignis sighed rubbing his temples with his fingers as he tried to think. The slave crown was still on the ground next to him. “He needs a hospital. Are you having any luck Ms. Lunafreya?”

“Nothing.” Luna said, “We’re too far away from anywhere.” Ignis shook his head not even surprised by that answer, he could not even think of a major city in Accordo besides Altissia. All critical care patients went right to the capital city, which was now in shambles.

“Well, what if we just hid in a hotel like we always do?” Prompto suggested, “We can get some antibiotics from a pharmacy, a few burgers to help get some meat on Noctis bones. I’m sure he’d like a soft bed to sleep in.” The blonde said looking at his friend. He wanted nothing more than to lie down next to him and give him a hug. Ignis smiled.

“It’s a nice gesture,” He said but his smile faded even as he spoke, “But at this level of starvation introducing anything to rich would cause refeeding syndrome to set in. A burger would probably kill him.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Prompto groaned.

“Well, what do we do about that?” Gladiolus asked motioning to the slave crown. Ignis lifted it up and glared at it. “I bet if we brought that to anyone even considering working with Niflheim they would turn their backs on Idola in a heartbeat.”

“Yes, well it’s too little too late for Altissia.” Ignis said his tone more than a little bitter.

“But not for Tenebrae or Solheim.” Luna said then frowned as she considered her thoughts. “No not Tenebrae, with Niflheim at my country's borders if we try to get Noctis medical help the queen might just have him and us turned over to Idola as bargaining chips. He gets the prince back, he leaves the country alone.”

“You really think that would happen Luna?” Gladiolus asked and Luna frowned finding it difficult to answer.

“To be honest I don’t know. But if I were the queen - and I were not engaged to him - it’s what I would do. Her duty is to her people first. Lucis is secondary. Always has been. Harboring Noctis would just give Idola more motivation to attack and put the people in danger.”

“Solheim meanwhile is a staunch ally of Lucis.” Ignis continued, “They’ve been quiet because they do not want to get in the way of crystal related conflicts, but if we got there and present this to Solheim’s king and queen they’ll give us refuge.” He looked down at Noctis and looking at his condition made him wonder if the prince would survive the flight. Solheim was very out of the way, it would take at least ten hours to get there.

He shook his head. Noctis would make it, Ignis would do everything in his power to make sure his friend made it there. He looked at Prompto. “We need you to fly us to Solheim.”

“Right. Yeah.” Prompto said, “I can do that.”

With their destination in mind Ignis cleaned and wrapped Noctis ankles and wrists and hoped it would be enough for the time being. He then moved so Gladiolus could lift Noctis off the ground. The bodyguard was careful, making sure when he carried Noctis he did not inadvertently cause the prince more pain. Prompto was already rushing into the small ship and Ignis and Luna followed after him.

Once Noctis was laid down and as comfortable as they could hope to make him, Prompto started the ship and took off. It was going to be the longest ten hours of their lives.


	8. The Lights are Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You'll be okay..."
> 
> Noctis will be okay, that's what they hope for when they get to Solheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tough chapter. Too long. Painful to edit. Why I do this to myself? But we are starting the comfort and healing portion. Hopefully >_>
> 
> In other news: I'm moving in three weeks! So excited! I do not expect to finish this fic before I move, but I will try hard to keep up with it during the process ^_^;

It was going to be the longest ten hours of their lives and they were only an hour into their flight. Ignis was sure of it as he once again went through the compartments on the drop ship in the hopes of finding anything that could help Noctis. Again he found nothing and closed them louder than he intended.

“Easy there, sleeping beauty needs his beauty sleep.” Gladiolus said. It was a small joke, an attempt to lighten up the mood on the ship. It managed to get a smile on Luna’s face. Ignis just sighed and turned around to see Noctis’ head resting on her lap, the prince’s chest rising and falling, a wheezing noise coming from his mouth. He watched as Luna played with the prince’s hair.

“You’re going to be okay.” Luna whispered to him as he slept. She had a good feeling he couldn't hear her - Noctis was a deep sleeper and Ignis sleep spell had the same effect, but she hoped that he could sense he was no longer in danger. She continued to run her fingers through his tangled strands. She knew he liked it when she and his friends played with his hair, even if he would never say it out loud.

Prompto looked over from where he was flying the ship. He wanted to go over and join them, but he had no idea how to set the ship to automatically fly to Solheim. He looked at Noctis' pale, sunken face, took a deep breath and turned back to watch what he was doing. He felt his body visibly shake and he forced himself to try and stay calm, to focus on their destination. He could not panic now, not when Noctis needed them most.

“We’ll get to Solheim.” He said getting their attention, “Then we’ll get Noctis all patched up, and we can get him in a nice bed to sleep in.”

“He does look like he could use a nice bed.” Luna said.

“Right now he could use a lot of things.” Ignis told them, kneeling down next to where Luna was sitting. “The healers will be able to help him.”

He put his hand to Noctis forehead and noted how warm he was before going through the first aid kid and pulling out an ear thermometer. He found a cover and put the plastic top into Noctis’ ear waiting a few seconds for the thermometer’s soft beep before taking it out. He frowned, ear thermometers were a little off, but after rerunning the numbers in his head he was sure Noctis temperature was around 104. He reapplied water to the rag and placed it back on Noctis’ forehead hoping it would help cool him down.

It was as his hand left the rag that Noctis started moving. His head tilted causing the cloth to fall off, and his eyes became tighter. “Highness?” Ignis asked. Noctis was starting to wake up, but it was to soon for the sleep spell to be wearing off.

“Noct?” Luna asked. Gladiolus stood up and moved closer. Prompto looked back over before forcing himself to look ahead. The prince let out a small moan and moved his head again, his body becoming tense as though it was not quite sure how to move. Finally after a few long seconds Noctis opened his eyes. Not completely, only a little, enough for the three near him to see that Noctis eyes were still a dark grey. His eyes had a cloudy look to them, almost as though a heavy fog was hanging over his head. The prince stared up at ship's ceiling in silence.

Luna moved her hand from his hair to his cheek and gently ran her fingers across it. “Noctis, can you hear me?”

His eyes did not move for a few seconds but after a bit they did move to her. They stared at her, empty and blank and Luna found herself losing her composure under his gaze. They then moved to Gladiolus, and then Ignis. His expression was the same as when he was looking at her, empty. At least at first, as he started to wake up a bit more they noticed his breathing become heavier and his eyes widened like that of a frightened animal. His eyes darted between them and he tried moving only to find he couldn’t. He was being held down. He felt like he was being held down.

He was not being held down, his body was weak, but his mind so was confused and torn apart he was convinced he was being restrained. So when he felt a hand on his head, he screamed, and thrashed about, falling off Luna’s lap and onto the metal floor. It didn’t register with Noctis that he fell, only that his body was suddenly in a lot of pain, especially his arm. It hurt. It hurt real bad.

Everything hurt and he just wanted it to stop.

“Noct!” He heard a shout and then someone touch him. He screamed, his movement becoming erratic. Ignis had to command Gladiolus to keep him still, worried that that Noctis would hurt himself in his confused state. The advisor put his hand near Noctis’ head to try and draw more magic and put him back to sleep only to find those threads he drew from were breaking apart.

“He’s not letting me.” He said.

“Then how do we get him to calm down?” Gladiolus asked, trying to keep the frightened prince from moving to much, which Ignis had a feeling was only making him more terrified. Ignis put his hand to Noctis’ head running his fingers through his hair hoping to calm him down.

“Highness it’s okay. It’s us, no one is going to hurt you. Please you need to calm down. Do you understand?”

Noctis cried out his eyes wide as he tried to pull away from both of them. Feeling Ignis fingers on his head was not calming him down, instead it was doing the opposite. It was as though he was convinced they were going to hurt him. Ignis pulled his hand away, again at a loss for what to do. The only thing he could think was to wait for Noctis to pass out from exhaustion, but that ran the risk of aggravating his condition.

“Let me try.” Luna said carefully sitting up and stepping around them. “Please step back, Gladio let go of him.” She told the bodyguard and advisor. Ignis frowned, reluctant to move but did so, and Gladiolus was even more reluctant to let go of Noctis. “Please.” She said the worry in her voice finally making him let go.

Free of Gladiolus grip, Noctis quickly curled up into a ball on the floor. He stopped screaming and began sobbing, which became quiet as fatigue set in. His body shook but whether from feeling cold or from fear Luna had no idea. Carefully she knelt down on the floor so she was not towering over him.

“Noct?” She asked. The prince was unresponsive, he stayed curled up like an injured animal trying to hide from it’s attacker. Luna waited for a few seconds before lying down on the floor next to him. “Noct?” She said again and waited for Noctis to calm down a little. She was not sure how long it would be until he did, but she would wait as long as she needed to.

It was a few long minutes, but Luna did see his shoulders begin to relax and his eyes open a bit. He looked at her and she watched those eyes carefully. They reminded him of when they were small children and they still did not know each other very well. No it was worse, back then he just looked nervous, now he looked terrified of her. Watching those eyes she moved her hand a little closer, then a little more gauging his reaction. When her fingers brushed against his, he pulled away from her in fright. He probably would have backed further away if he were not already against a wall.

“It’s okay.” She said keeping her voice soft and brushing her fingers against his again.

His body was tense and he kept watching her, eyes wide, fearing what she would do to him. Gently her fingers caressed his moving ever so slightly closer until she was holding his hand and rubbing her thumb over the back of it. Ignis watched Noctis’ reaction, he was staring at her like a deer caught by a vehicle’s headlights, but thankfully was not screaming or crying anymore. Luna was playing a dangerous game. If she did something to soon, Noctis was likely to panic and hurt her on accident.

Luna continued to watch as Noctis’ body uncurled and though his eyes were glassy and unfocused he was looking at her. “It’s okay.” She trying to keep her voice steady as she looked at his eyes and saw the light in them had been replaced by fear and uncertainty. It was painful to think about the possibility of Noctis being frightened of her or his friends, to actually see him frightened was worse. It was like some kind of wall had been formed between them that needed to be climbed over.

This was all because of Idola. Luna silently swore to herself that if she ever crossed paths with the mad king of Niflheim that she would single handedly slice his throat. No. After what he did to Noctis, Lucis, Altissia, and what he could possibly do to Tenebrae, death was too good for him. She would make sure he suffered something so horrible that he would wish for a quick death, and even then she would make sure he got a slow one.

But she pushed that into the back of her mind for now. Revenge could wait for the time being. Besides someone else had already called dibs on Idola. That someone was lying right next to her.

Because Noctis had not reacted negatively to her touching his hand, she slid her hand down his forearm and then up to his shoulder. He became tense when she had to move closer so she stopped and waited for him to relax a little. Finally after inching her way towards him she was able to wrap her arm around his back and pull him into a hug. His eyes widened at first, but then partly closed as he realized she was not going to hurt him.

“There we are.” She whispered to him gently rubbing his back. “See? Everything is going to be okay. You’re safe with us.”

Noctis’ was silent, his mind being to broken to understand her words and his body to tired to try and speak, but her touch was warm and gentle, different from the pain and cold he had been in. It felt...nice. He let his eyes close and put his head to her chest as she continued to rub his back. He liked the feeling, it was different than the pain and cold that he had felt before. He felt safe, and as he began to relax more he started to feel sleepy.

Noctis fell back to sleep as Luna continued to hold him and rub his back. He slept the entire trip to Solheim, and Luna barely left his side. However Ignis noted that even as he slept in a deep sleep, Noctis did not look like he was getting a restful slumber.

At various points his dark haired friend became fitful and his arms twitched - sometimes violent enough Luna needed to move away until he stopped. Ignis guessed at first that he was having nightmares, but the movements were too jerked and repetitive. He was also worried about dehydration, but waking Noctis for him to drink a little water was impossible. The young man was unresponsive to their attempts and after a bit, Ignis decided that for the time being it would be best for Noctis to try and sleep. The crystal was probably working around the clock to heal his wounds, draining what little strength he had.

Ignis would not say it out loud, but he was worried Noctis condition would get worse. He was worried his prince would stop breathing or slip into a coma before they reached Solheim. Ignis kept those thoughts to himself however, not wanting to upset the others (though they were already thinking it) and busied himself with trying to get into contact with someone important in Solheim’s political circle.

It took far longer than he would have liked to get a response, some of his personal contacts were not going through. However he finally got someone, who forwarded him to another person higher on the political circle. That person got Ignis in contact with the one of the queen’s personal assistants. Ignis explained their situation and the woman agreed to get rooms set up at the palace for them. Noctis would be treated by the best healers they could get in the capital city right in the palace’s medical wards.

Their was already an ambulance and healers along with the usual guards waiting for them when they landed. The guards had weapons ready which Ignis was not surprised to see since they were on a Niflheim ship, but they put them aside upon seeing Ignis and Luna step out. Gladiolus and Prompto were not far behind, the large bodyguard carefully carrying Noctis sleeping body in his arms.

The group were set up in two conjoined family suites. They would get settled in once Noctis was done being looked over. The healers needed to re-break his right arm and set it so it would heal properly, and after treating his ribs, put him on strong antibiotics to treat a severe lung infection as well as the infections on his other arm, wrists, and ankles. They took some blood samples to check for any poison or drugs, and while those came back clean they made note of the infected needle marks on his skin.

When Ignis mentioned the slave crown and explained what it was, the healers discussed having Noctis’ brain checked for potential brain damage and would make arrangements to have that done within a few days.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like they tortured him.” One of the healers said. Prompto had been pacing at that point and snapped.

“‘ _Like_ they tortured him?’ Are you blind? Look at him! Look what they did to him! That beat him within an inch of his life and then threw him at us!”

The blonde man was yelling, but tears were streaming down his face and Gladiolus had to walk him over to a nearby chair to sit down. Ignis used this opportunity to get a prescription written for his friend’s anxiety as well as Luna’s current sleep medication, and instructed Gladiolus and Prompto to go to the pharmacy. Prompto didn’t put up much of a fight, he needed to get away from the medical wing before he punched a hole in the wall or broke his hand.

Gladiolus and Prompto stopped on the way back to get pizza for dinner, so by the time they returned Noctis was being put to bed in one of the suites. All the necessities needed to monitor his condition were put into place and their would be a healer on call along with someone to check on him each hour. Luna’s face was pale as she looked at her fiancé. They cleaned the blood and dirt off him and put in a simple white medical gown, but somehow that just made him look worse. His skin was a grayish yellow from illness, and even wrapped in blankets he was shivering like he was cold.

“Is he gonna be alright?” Prompto asked as Luna took a seat at Noctis’ bedside. The advisor tried to come up with an answer that sounded like a yes, but found he was kidding himself.

“It’s too soon to tell.” He said, then added when he saw Prompto's head drop, “His condition is advanced, but they’ll do everything they can.” Ignis noted the breathing mask, as well as IV’s supplying Noctis with antibiotics and nutrients until he woke up and could start taking them on his own. “Solheim’s medical knowledge is second to Lucis’, this is the best place to treat him.”

Prompto just nodded as he looked at his best friend, who just slept oblivious to what was going on. “If I had gotten us here sooner-”

“It would have changed very little. This was all Niflheim’s doing. There’s nothing we could have done to change Noctis’ condition.” Ignis told him trying to sound reassuring and knowing he was not doing a good job. Prompto stayed silent, letting that information sink in as Gladiolus put a hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, you should have something to eat. We all should, we’ve barely had time to settle down since this morning.”

“You’re right.” Ignis said. He was not going to argue about pizza for once, he did not have the energy or desire too. He felt numb all over.

“You want something Luna?” Gladiolus asked getting her attention. “We got one Pepperoni, one sausage, and one mushroom and jalapeno.”

“Mushroom and jala…?” She started to ask then trailed off and shook her head. “No, thank you, I don’t feel very hungry.” She said looking at Noctis sleeping body.

“I’m not very hungry either.” Prompto muttered, hands in his pocket as he sat on the other bed. The two older in the group looked at each other and then Ignis spoke.

“I’ll make us some tea to steady our nerves. We should all try to eat something tonight, it’d be bad for us to get sick as well.” Ignis said looking the two over, “Noctis would hate to think one of you got sick because we were too busy worrying about him. And you and I,” He looked over at Luna, “need to prepare ourselves to meet with Solheim’s king and queen. We need to be at our best, mentally and physically.”

Luna was quiet at first, but nodded upon realizing Ignis was right They would both be busy. Solheim’s King had agreed to give them a few days to put themselves together, get new clothes, and help take care of Noctis. So when Gladiolus came in with dinner she did not hesitate to take a piece of pepperoni pizza. Prompto was a bit more reluctant, but settled on a piece as well and ate it slowly. It tasted like ash on his tongue because he was still a bundle of nerves and he found himself drenching it in hot sauce to give it more taste. The only thing that did was make his tongue feel like it was on fire. He took two of his pills and downed them with water when he was halfway through his slice trying hard to ignore the consequences of mixing water with spicy food.

Conversation was tense and awkward. They discussed what they would be doing the next day - it was decided they would go clothes shopping - and who would take turns watching Noctis while the healers monitored his condition. They hoped the next time Noctis woke up he would be well enough to make sense of what was going on around him. Maybe tell them what happened to him. Luna looked down at the cup of tea she was holding as Gladiolus mentioned it; somehow she doubted Noctis would be together after waking up. He had looked so scared and confused, it was possible he would still be when he woke up.

Prompto was the first to fall asleep, flopping right on the bed, the medicine he took having a much stronger effect than normal because of the long day. Gladiolus ended up carrying him back to the other room. Luna volunteered for first watch as Ignis followed the two boys.

“You’re sure?” Ignis asked and Luna nodded as she stayed in her seat by Noctis’ bedside.

“I’m sure.” She told him then a small smile formed on her face, “You can have him all to yourself tomorrow.”

Ignis had to keep himself from smiling at her comment and wished her a good night.

* * *

Ignis found he could not concentrate the next morning. He had not slept well, his concerns for Noctis, as well as Prompto talking in his sleep, kept him awake until the early hours. It was ten in the morning and he was already on his third cup of ebony coffee. The sunlight filtering into Noctis' room making it warm was not helping either. Prompto and the others had just left for the mall to get some new clothes. Ignis had been invited to join them, but he stayed behind to speak to the healers and watch Noctis. He gave them his measurements and told them to buy whatever looked reasonable.

He was sure he would regret those words when they got back.

Noctis was still asleep, chest steadily rising up and down, the heart monitor’s steady beeping rhythmic and even. It was a little hard to tell because of the shift in timezone, but Ignis had to guess that Noctis had been sleeping for almost a day. Neither Ignis nor the healers knew how much longer he would sleep, but tests they ran told them he was not in a coma. The slave crown was being studied, they wanted to know how it worked and the potential side effects. Ignis took all the information they gave him in stride. He wanted to be optimistic, but he needed to be realistic as well.

Noctis was going to be in for a long recovery.

A groan made Ignis’ eyes snap open - he hadn’t even realized he closed them - and he looked up. The clock near the bed said it was just past one. Noctis’ eyes twitched and opened a little. “Highness?” Ignis asked. Seeing Noctis wake up brought him a little relief, but when Noctis only stared up at the ceiling that relief was replaced with concern. “Noctis. Can you hear me?” He asked.

Noctis did not answer. Blinking slow and heavy like he was still half asleep, he continued to look at at the ceiling, eyes a deep dark grey. Ignis waved his hand in front of those dark eyes hoping he would get a reaction. Noctis just continued to stare at ceiling fan above him before closing his eyes again.

Ignis sighed. While he would not want Noctis thrashing about in fright, the lack of response to anything was somehow worse. He hoped his friend was just disoriented from the pain medication he was on. He waited a few more minutes finding himself reading the morning newspaper again and heard another groan. Noctis opened his eyes again, blinked a few times, and then looked right at him. “Noctis?”

He brushed his hand against Noctis arm and the prince’s body noticeably stiffened, his eyes widening. He started shaking, his breathing hitched, the heart monitor beeped louder. Ignis moved his hand right away in the hopes it would help him calm down. “It’s okay, you’re safe.” He told him trying to keep his voice steady as his the prince stared at him. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Noctis said nothing as he kept staring at him, frowning a little as he looked at Ignis face. Ignis noted how dark his eyes were but also how they were slowly shifting to a greenish color. As they did Noctis gasped, his body becoming stiff, and his hands twitching in a rhythmic pattern.

“Noctis?”

Ignis frowned as Noctis twitched. The twitching was similar to how Noctis had been twitching while on the ship. The twitches stopped after a few short seconds and Noctis groaned and looked away from him. Ignis noticed his eyes were still green and then after a few seconds the prince gasped and his hands started twitching again. Again they stopped after a second or two. “Noctis, are you alright?”

He put his hand to Noctis forehead noting he was still warm, but Noctis shook his head trying to get Ignis hand away. When the prince gasped and twitched for a third time - this time far more violently - Ignis dialed the number for the medical wing. They told him that they would send someone up and if possible to record the movements. Ignis then flipped through his contacts and decided to call Gladiolus. 

* * *

The mall was packed with people. It was Solheim’s summer season which meant no school for many students. Solheim’s summer’s were longer than Lucis’ because of it’s fishing season, and many students were taking advantage of the break to get hang out or find work. Most of the cashiers or sales associates working in the stores looked to still be in high school. However Prompto noticed right away that everyone was in much brighter colors, blues and whites especially. He was starting to feel underdressed...

The group began to go about their shopping. Luna already had an idea of where she wanted to go and left the two guys to do whatever they wanted. They would meet up with her when they were done. Prompto and Gladiolus browsed around stopping in one of the stores with more ‘creative’ clothing. Upon entering it Prompto stopped in front of a bright orange leopard print business suit and grinned.

“Hey Gladio, check this out!” He said pointing it out to Gladiolus. The ideas were spinning in his head as he imagined a certain someone wearing it. “What do you think?”

“For who?” Gladiolus asked.

“For Iggy! Who else?”

Gladiolus considered it, then replied. “No.” A reply that made Prompto pout.

“Come on. He’ll love it.”

“Yeah. Love to set it on fire.”

“He said he didn’t care what we got him.”

“I know, but I’m also sure he wants us to get him something with standards.” Gladiolus said, “Get him this and you might as well start planning your funeral.”

“You’re no fun.” Prompto pouted as he and Gladiolus left the store. They looked around a few more shops. Gladiolus purchased a few things he would need and then watched and waited as Prompto went around looking at various shirts, jeans, and clothing styles. He ran his fingers along the material and looking at tags and Gladiolus found himself rolling his eyes a few times.

Eventually Prompto settled on a few pairs of ripped jeans and some shirts. He mostly grabbed white, but he wanted some black. The store was lacking in the color, and when Prompto dragged Gladiolus to another store to look there, he noticed more blues and greens than black. Eventually he stopped - Gladiolus had to drag him away from the shop - and they found where Luna was looking. The young woman was trying on some skirts, blouses, and dresses, many whites and light blues were inside a basket near the dressing room and the girl stepped out in a light blue knee length dress with a white button up sweater. She was looking herself over in the mirror when Prompto walked over. “Hey!” He called getting her attention.

Luna looked over to them turning so fast the knee length dress danced around her legs. “There you two are.” She said then spun around. “What do you think?” She asked.

“Looks good.” Prompto said as he and Gladiolus looked at the pile of clothing. “Wow, been busy.”

“Yeah. I don’t like to admit it but I try to avoid the mall because I tend to suddenly not have any money...” Luna said a small blush of embarrassment on her face.

“Yeah, but at least you don’t nitpick your clothes.” Gladiolus said, “Prompto hear was examining every inch of what he wanted to buy like a detective. Every inch to make sure one stitch wasn’t out of place.”

“Hey, my jeans need to be one hundred percent real denim. None of that fake crap.” Prompto said getting a laugh out of the two which made his face turn red. “Yeah yeah go ahead and laugh. At least I’m not picky on the shade of black my shirts need to be. Then we’d be here all day.”

“Yeah. Which reminds me, this place is no Insomnia shopping center.” Gladiolus said, “The stores have a lot of color, but it’s lacking in the black department. Noct’s not gonna be happy.”

“Unfortunately black has never been that popular in Solheim. It’s too warm.” Luna said, thinking to herself, a small frown on her face. “If we can’t find any black we’ll have to try and find something dark enough that he can stand it. Dark blue or maybe even a really dark gray.”

“If it comes to it…” Gladiolus muttered.

“You know in all the years I’ve known Noct, I have never ever seen him in anything but black.” Prompto said. “It’s gonna be weird seeing him in a different color.”

“Well, we still need to get him a suit.” Gladiolus said, “And because he’s so short we need to get it custom made, at least that will be black.”

Prompto laughed a little, but it sounded forced and awkward. “The one thing we can get him in black is the thing he hates wearing. It’s like the worlds turned upside down.”

They decided they would save the suit for a later date, it would be a better idea to have Noctis measured for it when he looked healthier. Luna finished trying on some of her clothes - Prompto making giving commentary with each outfit -  and paid for the ones she liked. When they left they moved on to one of the larger brand name stores. To their surprise they did find a few black shirts and went through them to find something they thought Noctis would like. Unfortunately, most of the shirts had bright neon designs or logos on them. Noctis liked his shirts as plain as possible, the little skull like designs on his regular attire being the exception.

“You know you’d think it would be easy to shop for someone that wears only one color, but this is a lot harder than I thought.” Prompto said. He paused and then sighed getting Gladiolus and Luna’s attention. “This feels strange.”

“What does?” Gladiolus asked. Prompto shrugged.

“Doing this. I dunno. It doesn’t feel right being out shopping at the mall.” He said, “I mean, shouldn’t we be at the castle with him? What if he wakes up and is wondering where we are?”

“He’s got Iggy to take care of him.” Gladiolus said. “And we don’t know when he’s going to wake up. We can’t just hover around waiting. At least this way, we’ll be getting him a few things that will make him feel better.”

“Gladio’s right.” Luna said, “I really want to be with Noctis right now, but I hate feeling like there’s nothing I can do but sit and wait. This is another way we can help him. Getting him some clean clothes will go along way to make him feel better. And I’d like to get him something that will help him smile.” She stopped as she came upon a purple long sleeve shirt with a strange blue cat face on it. She grinned and laughed a bit at the image and then showed it to him. “Well? What do you think?”

Prompto laughed a little at the cat head while Gladiolus noticeably flinched at the image and told her to put it away. Luna stuck her tongue out at him but did so.

They looked around a little more, finding a few things for Ignis and Noctis. Dark blue was the color of choice, if only because there were more options. They got Noctis not just jeans and shirts, but also some some pants and a hooded sweatshirt. They continued to look around taking the elevator to the bottom floor of the store. As they walked around Prompto stopped short almost tripping Luna.

Prompto had found the swimwear section and his eyes lit up as he spun on his heels. “Guys that’s it!” He said a grin on his face that met their confused looks. “When Noct feels better, we should all go to the beach. I mean come on we’re right by the ocean! And he’s gonna need some sun once he’s on his feet.”

Luna ran the idea through her head and nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. We can relax on the beach...oh isn’t this around the time Solheim has it’s sand sculpting contest? We should check it out! It’d be a nice and relaxing activity.”

“Yeah so relaxing we’d fall asleep during it.” Gladiolus muttered. Luna jabbed him in the ribs. “Hey!”

“Alright mister big brother, what would you want to do at the beach?”

“What else? Take in the sun and watch the babes on the beach.” Gladiolus said a smirk on his face. Luna rolled her eyes. “How about it Prom? We should go down and chat up the ladies.”

“With you? No way. When you’re around I might as well just play second fiddle. At least with Noct as my wing man I look good by comparison.” Prompto said. “Hey Luna, you okay with me borrowing Noct when we go to the beach?”

“No. You’re on your own.” Luna said hoping the conversation ended there. Considering she was having it with Prompto, it did not. The blonde had a smirk on his face as he sensed the stirring of a green eyed monster.

“What’s wrong? Jealous someone might hit on him?” He asked and Luna’s face turned bright red, even as she tried to keep herself calm.

“Not really. I mean Noctis isn’t really comfortable being flirted with.”

“Yeah you would know. First time you tried talking to him he ran and hid in a closet.”

“We were seven!”

Gladiolus shook his head, but a grin was on his face as the two continued to bicker back and forth with one another. It had been the happiest any of them had been in weeks, though he hoped Prompto would managed to get back to the castle without a black eye or a raw cheek. However his phone ringing distracted him from the sight. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen. Ignis was calling him. “Yeah?” He asked answering the phone. Luna and Prompto stopped glaring at each other and looked at him. “What? Is he alright?”

“Did something happen?” Prompto asked, knowing exactly who ‘he’ was, “Is Noct-”

Gladiolus put up a finger to shush the blonde who was now bouncing on his heels. “Right. Okay. We’ll be back as soon as we- it’s fine we’re almost done here anyway. Right see you.” Gladiolus said and hung up on Ignis. He sighed running his hand through his hair.

“Is Noct okay?” Luna asked.

“Well, he woke up, but Iggy said he’s acting weird. His eyes are all green and he’s twitching and acting really out of it. We’re cutting this short and going back.”

Luna and Prompto did not protest, they had been thinking the same thing even as Gladiolus said it. They wanted to get back to the palace as soon as possible. Traffic had picked up so it was almost an hour back to the palace, but once their they hurried to the top floors and to the suites they were staying in.

Once on the floor, they heard screaming. Luna tossed her bags aside and rushed down the hall, Prompto and Gladiolus followed after. She opened the door to find Noctis being held down by healers, blood dripping from his left arm. Someone he had managed to pull out the IV. “Noct!” She yelled running over only for one of the healers to step in her way and grab her. “Let go of me!”

“What’s going on?” Gladiolus asked.

“Please stay back.” One of the healers said as Noctis tried to fight against him. One was preparing a sedative, while several more were holding him down. Noctis’ back arched as he let out a terrifying scream that sounded like something not human.

“Please stop!” Luna shouted. “Let him go, you’re scaring him!”

“I want them out of the room.” One of the healers told Ignis.

“Why?” Prompto asked.

“What’s going on?” Gladiolus said looking to Ignis for answers as the room became more chaotic. The healer looked at Ignis.

“I want them out now!” She yelled. Noctis screamed and their were other voices. One person telling the healer to put the sedative in his neck. Another saying he was moving too much. More yelling, more voices. More screaming. Noctis was screaming. Luna pushed passed the healer in her way shaking her off when she tried to grab her.

“Let him go!” She said to one of them. “He’s scared, you’re making it worse! Please, let me try and calm him down.”

Somehow that got one of them to let go and he ordered the others to stop holding Noctis down. The moment he was free Noctis sprung into a sitting position curling up into a small ball. Luna knelt by his bed. “Noct it’s okay.” She said taking his hand. He jumped at the touch and backed away crying out as he hit his head on the headboard. He let out a low whine and Luna was hesitant to move closer, afraid he’d hurt himself on accident if she tried to touch him again.

“Noct, please look at me.” She said gently touching his hand. He looked at her, eyes wide and confusion clear on his face. He was breathing hard, hyperventilating. She tried to keep her voice soft and steady hoping it would help him calm down. “It’s okay. You’re safe, no one is going to hurt you.”

Noctis stared at her then looked up at the others and the healers. His breathing became sharper more quick and his face became as pale as the bed sheets as his body shook violently. He was having a panic attack, Luna tried to move her arm around his back so she could calm him down. “It’s okay. Deep breaths, deep-”

She was cut off by Noctis face turning green and his eyes gold colored. He coughed violently his body becoming stiff and then jolting back so he hit his head hard against the headboard. One healer pulled Luna out of the way as another got Noctis lying on his side as he started convulsing violently. He gasped and coughed, blood and vomit spewing out of his mouth. Before they knew it Prompto, Luna, and Gladiolus were forced out of the room. Ignis was the only one allowed to stay, if only because he was the one that actually cooperated with them.

The wait and noise coming from the room had the three looking at each other and Prompto bouncing on his heels, but after more than a little while it became quiet. No one opened the door for a long time, but finally it did open and healers stepped out. One of them was carrying a bag filled with bed sheets, while another was talking to Ignis as the man showed her the video he captured.

“-they lasted for fifteen minutes and afterwards he was disoriented.”

“They look like myoclonic jerks, small seizures. Is this the first time this has happened?”

“I believe he may have been having them on the drop ship, but he was asleep. I originally thought he was having nightmares. Can these happen while he’s asleep?”

The healer nodded and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Prompto.

“Is Noct okay?” Prompto asked. Ignis frowned not to sure how to answer so the healer did.

“The prince had a panic attack then a seizure. We cleaned him up, along with the mess. His elbow has been bandaged, but we can’t get the IV back in.” The healer said then sighed. “That IV was supposed to help him with the malnutrition…”

“Then, how’s he going to eat?” Prompto asked. “Are you gonna use a feeding tube?”

“We considered it, but the seizures worry me.” The healer told him then turned to Ignis. “We can try manual feeding. I’ll put together a special glucose and vitamin solution and he’ll need to be given it every few hours.”

“Is that the only option?” Ignis asked.

“The other is surgically inserting the feeding tube into his stomach, but there’s a larger risk of infection and he’ll need to stay in the hospital.” The healer said. Just judging by their faces the woman knew that was not an option. “I’ll put together the solution and arrange for it to be given to him every few hours. We start him on that for a few days, increase the amount a little each day, then try him on light soups and juices. If he responds favorably we continue to solid foods, if not we take it slower.

“I’ve also scheduled an MRI for tomorrow morning so we can check for brain injury. We’ll do an EEG as well, just to be on the safe side.” The healer said. The four exchanged looks, they did not want to think of the possibility of brain damage, but it was a thought that was hanging over them since yesterday. Ignis nodded and thanked the healer for their time and she left to make her preparations. The sooner they found out if something was wrong the sooner they could start treatment and therapy.

The healer left to prepare Noctis’ treatment and the others grabbed everything they had dropped by the elevator. Luna slowly entered the room with Prompto and the others behind her. Noctis was lying on the bed, eyes half closed and not looking at anything in particular.

“Hey buddy.” Prompto said as he moved closer. “How you doing?”

Noctis glanced at him, his eyes still dark grey. The blonde winced at those eyes, there was no light or life in them. Luna pulled up a chair and took a seat next to him.

“Are you feeling any better?” She asked. Noctis stared at her before moaning and closing his eyes for a long while before opening them. “You’re tired? You should sleep.”

Noctis did not sleep and he winced when Luna ran her hand across his face and on his forehead. She noted that he still felt very warm but at the same time he was shivering a little. There was a light sheen of sweat forming on his forehead and Ignis got a lightly damp cloth from the bathroom to wipe it off. Noctis moaned a little as he felt the cool cloth on his skin. He looked at each of them noting their faces then closed his eyes and sighed.

After a half hour the healer came in with the mixture. She filled one of the glasses in the room and ushered Luna away so she could sit next to her patient. Noctis looked at the glass and his eyes widened and he made a small noise as though realizing it was water. Ignis was not surprised, even with the IV having been giving him fluids Noctis was still struggling with dehydration.

The healer, with Ignis’ help, got Noctis sit up so he was a little more upright and helped him drink the solution. Despite telling him he needed to drink slowly they found they needed to at times pull the cup away from him. He drank it down ravenous and when the glass was empty made a noise making it clear he wanted more.

“Are you going to?” Prompto asked.

“One small glass every few hours. He needs to be reintroduced to fluid slowly.” She said. Noctis groaned and made a small whining noise making it clear to all of them he was uncomfortable. The healer moved away to let Luna and Prompto get near him. Noctis kept looking between them, but whether he was taking in their presence or not they couldn’t tell. The healer told Ignis he could give Noctis a little more water later, but they needed to tell someone right away if Noctis complained of stomach pain.

When the healer left their attention was brought right to their friend, who was looking blankly at the ceiling after they laid him back down.

“Looking pretty tired little guy.” Gladiolus said. Noctis’s eyes moved to him. “Think you should try and get some sleep. You’ve had it rough.”

“Yeah, nap time buddy.” Those words came from Prompto, but with each voice Noctis looked at them with the same blank face. When Luna moved a little, he looked at her and closed his eyes when she placed a kiss on his forehead.

“You should sleep.” She said, but Noctis did not go to sleep. He opened his eyes again and just stared at her. Ignis was finding Noctis’ lack of reaction to anything they said and the nervous flinching when they touched him disturbing. It just reaffirmed his concerns that something was wrong that they could not see.

Eventually Noctis did fall asleep, and after a little while the four got dinner together. None of them felt like going out or to Solheim’s kitchen for a meal so they just ate what was leftover from last night. Once they finished eating, they tried to keep themselves occupied. Luna moved herself back to Noctis’ bed and began reading while he slept. Ignis was looking up medical information on his phone, eyes occasionally moving to his ill friend. Gladiolus was looking at stuff on the internet. News articles mostly, sometimes cat photos. Prompto was fidgeting, feet bouncing as he tried to think of something to do.

“Hey, uh, Iggy?” Prompto asked finding the silence in the room to be becoming unbearable. “You alright if I turn on the TV?”

Ignis considered it and then nodded. "Go ahead.”

Without hesitating Prompto began looking for the remote and tried to get a conversation started. “Hey, we should see if they have one of those ‘instant movie’ services in here. Like the one Noct had. We could all use a little bit of excitement. Something with a little action, or maybe a little bit of comedy.”

“Hopefully nothing too exciting.” Ignis said a smile on his face to show he appreciated Prompto was trying to lighten the mood. “A nice spy film sounds simple enough.”

Prompto looked up at him. “Iggy, spy films are boring.”

“Your response is precisely why I never suggest a theme for our movie nights.” Ignis said, not even trying to hide the bit of bitterness in his voice. Prompto gave him a sheepish grin and went back looking for the remote. After watching him disappear under the bed to look for it Gladiolus stood up and turned the television on the old fashioned way - pressing the on button on the television itself.

 _“And now for the latest updates on Niflheim’s attack on Altissia.”_ Prompto stopped his search when he heard the television and sat on the bed. _“The kingdom of Niflheim has officially announced its success in conquering the Accordian capital city and subduing the Guardian Archaean Leviathan. Rumor has it Leviathan attacked the city itself before the opening wave of Niflheim war ships, but this has not been confirmed. Additionally several key political figures residing at the castle, including Crown Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum and his fiancé Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, have been reported missing. Last it was heard, the crown prince was seeking aid from Altissia’s counsel to-”_

“Turn it off.” Ignis said and Gladiolus did so. The moment he did they heard a groan and all eyes fell on Noctis. His eyes were open and he was staring at the television.

The prince’s hand moved a little, like he was trying to get his arm to work properly and his fingers flexed like he was trying to turn the television back on. Ignis frowned then looked at Gladiolus. He nodded and the bodyguard did turn it back on.

_“However there has been no word from the duchess or the king since the attack on the castle...right now we are getting the latest casualty report. As for this moment we are reporting fifteen thousand deaths and over one hundred thousand injured. We expect that these numbers will continue to climb in the coming days. We will continue to keep people informed of the situation as it goes on. In other news..."_

The news story ended there and Ignis wondered if Noctis still wanted to keep watching. Luna sighed as she heard the news and looked back at Noctis. She frowned as she noticed he was still looking at the television, but what made her frown were his eyes. There were tears streaming from them. He was crying.

“Noct, are you okay?” She asked as the others got closer. She grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and began wiping the tears from his face. “It's okay. Don't cry..." She said, but Noctis was silent as the news continued to play.

 


	9. A Brief Flicker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's still here. Exhausted and disoriented, but he's still here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks for sticking with me through delays and painfully long chapters. From here it's an uphill battle, but I modified and updated my outline a bit so hopefully things go smoothly for our favorite group. I see the ending I just need to get there!
> 
> As I mentioned in the last chapter notes, I will be moving very soon. Which means lack of internet for a period of time. That said I'll still be working on this fic and hopefully have plenty of chapters ready when I get a connection ^_^

_“...for this moment we are reporting fifteen thousand deaths and over one hundred thousand injured. We expect that these numbers will continue to climb in the coming days. We will continue to keep people informed of the situation as it goes on.”_

Cyrus had put on the news so he could have a little bit of background noise, but found himself less interested in his paperwork and more interested in what was on the television. Thousands dead and even more injured, and still the possibility of their being more. He wondered if Idola was satisfied with the destruction and if he would use Altissia as an example to put Tenebrae and Solheim in there place. Probably. Idola wanted more than just Lucis’ crystal, the man was an opportunist if he was nothing else.

Seeing the news report made Cyrus more interested in his phone, which was sitting silent on his desk. It had been two days since Aurora and Noctis left to attack the city. He had busied himself with work so he would stop worrying about his sister, double checking his information on the slave crown, comparing it to old notes, and was at the point of wanting to shred and burn the papers. Idola wanted another prototype to test on war prisoners. Cyrus did not like that idea. He did not like human testing.

When he tested the prototype Noctis was to wear, he made sure his volunteers understood the possible side effects that would come from wearing it. The results of those tests made Cyrus wonder how Noctis’ brain was reacting to the crown. Noctis had not been the most stable. He was not human, but Cyrus imagined the crown was doing something to his brain and Aurora was probably having fun ordering him around.

Cyrus again checked his phone. Still no new messages. No missed calls. He knew he should not worry, his sister could more than take care of herself, but the silence still bothered him. Taking a deep breath wrote up a quick text message.

_‘Checking in. Hope everything is alright.’_

He pressed send and hoped that he got a response. He looked back at his paperwork, but his eyes kept returning to his phone, sitting silently on the desk. He sighed and dropped the papers. He needed a break, so he left his office and walked into the room where his fellow researchers were studying the crystal. It was glowing a soft green and readings were still coming in. Energy spikes were still higher than normal. That told him that despite Noctis being reported as missing that the prince was alive.

Hopefully his sister was too.

* * *

_It was cold in the prison cell.  Dank and cold. Noctis shivered and curled up tighter on the floor, trying to keep what little warmth he had to himself. The cold made is hard to sleep and he let out a small moan as he felt a sharp pain from his stomach. A side effect he was told from the drugs injected into him, but maybe it was also because his body was desperate for food. He did not want to eat, he felt dizzy and nauseous and was hoping he wouldn’t throw up again._

_He looked up as the prison cell opened. He glared as the guards entered. One of them kicked the uneaten tray of food into the corner. “Another big day for you.” He said before grabbing Noctis’ arm and pulling him to his feet. His legs were shaky, but once he found some strength Noctis jammed his elbow into one of the guards stomach. The other grabbed him roughly and shoved him into the concrete wall. The dark haired prince eyes widened as he felt a fist slam into his stomach and bile rose into his mouth. The guard made a startled and disgusted noise when Noctis vomited before punching him in the face, knocking to the hard floor._

_No more strength in him, Noctis just let himself be dragged out of the cell. Next thing he knew, he was strapped to the table in Cyrus’ lab. The researcher was mixing something, talking on the phone. Noctis pulled at the restrains to find they were as tight as ever._

_“No, I won’t be home tonight. I know, I know, you - I promise I’ll get some rest. Yes, I promise. You don’t need to send someone to spy on me.” He heard Cyrus say, a small chuckle in his voice, before hanging up and drawing the liquid substance into a syringe. He turned his attention to Noctis, “Now it’s very likely this will make you feel funny in the head. Actually it’s guaranteed you will, I’m told you haven’t been eating anything.”_

_Noctis glared at the syringe. “What's it?”_

_“A hallucinogenic. And a few other things. Just try and relax. Enjoy the high.” He said._

_Noctis tried to pull away as Cyrus pushed the needle into his skin, but the restraints made that impossible. His eyes snapped shut as he felt the drug enter his blood and when he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. His head began to feel funny and the colors in the room exploded, becoming bright and oversaturated. He looked around noticing all the lights he hadn’t seen before. There were a lot of lights. Mostly green. There was a lot of green._

_He never realized before how green the room was. Or how red the liquid dripping from his hands were. He rubbed his fingers together and giggled as he felt wet sticky fluid. It was very wet. And red. Very red. He looked up at the ceiling and then back at his hand staring wide eyed in fascination. There was red liquid covering his hand. He giggled at how wet and sticky it was._

_He sighed and closed his eyes as he felt something on his head and then froze. Something was wrong. His head started pounding, he could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest. He opened his eyes and saw he was surrounded by fire. Up at him a monster was staring, it’s sickly green eyes filled with a glee that only a beast would have. It opened it’s mouth and Noctis pulled at his restraints trying to get as far away from it as possible. It grabbed his arm and he screamed._

_Then he was cold. He felt water in his hair and against his skin. His eyes were wide open, iris' purple in color as he gazed upon a dark serpentine figure with glowing eyes..._

It was almost three in the morning and Luna was combing her hair. Ignis told her to wake him up to watch Noctis and that she should try and get herself some sleep. If she had been sleeping like she normally did she would have argued with him, been more demanding about watching over her fiancé, but since his kidnapping her insomnia had gotten worse. She had been scared that Etro’s visions would show him dying a brutal death. Now that he was safe, it was time she got some proper sleep.

Luna popped the cap off her prescription. She put two pills in her mouth and drank them down with water before leaving the bathroom. As she opened the door, she heard whimpering and saw Noctis was shivering in his sleep.

“Noct?” She asked sitting down by him. His eyes were tightly shut and his face was tense. He curled up tighter on the bed, hand gripping his pillow, his whimpering becoming louder and tears streamed down his face. He was having a nightmare.

“Noct wake up!” She said shaking him. To her surprise she did not need to shake him to much, Noctis eyes snapped open the moment she touched him and he instinctively tried to back away. His eyes were wide like a frightened animal as he looked around.

He was still half asleep and his mind dazed and foggy. It took awhile for him to realize he was not in a prison, he was in a bedroom, resting on a large bed. The room did not look familiar...his eyes fell on the television and then on the other bed and chairs near it. He then looked at the person sitting next to him. Her blonde hair was down and framed her face in a messy manner. Her bangs normally swept to the side were going straight down.

“Are you okay?” Luna asked. Noctis heard her speak, but the words were foreign. They sounded like clumps of muffled sound being worked through a filter. His eyes looked down at the blankets wrapped around him before falling to his arms. One was in a cast, a tube inserted into his elbow. Gauze and wrappings covering the elbow on the other. He frowned as he looked at them, his mind slowly trying to process the sight.

“The healer’s patched you up. You looked pretty bad when we got to Solheim.” She said putting a hand to his shoulder. Noctis flinched a little, eyes snapping shut in fright, but when Luna did not do anything else he slowly opened them. She just put his hand on his shoulder. She was not going to hurt him.

She wouldn’t hurt him. Not ever. Not on purpose. He looked at her. Her touch was gentle, and her voice soft, even if her words made little sense to him. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were sad. He looked at those eyes, drawn in by their bluish-purple color, but more so because they looked watery. Like she was about to cry.

He did not want to see her cry. He never wanted to see her cry. He reached up to touch her face, only to stop as he felt pressure form in his head and his hand dropped. He groaned in pain, then gasped, eyes widening as they turned dull green and his body stiffened and his hands jerked. It felt like his body had been shocked and his vision blacked out for a second before coming back to him. He heard Luna say something and he looked at her. Then it happened again, body stiff, hands twitching and jerking violently.

Then again.

And again.

Noctis lay against his pillow eyes wide and breathing hard from fear. He had no idea what was going on, his head was foggy and his vision fuzzy. He heard Luna’s soft voice and then saw her moving away. He felt panic run through him as he realized she was leaving. He did not want her to leave. He did not want her to leave. He reached out to try and grab her arm, try and get her to stay with him.

It happened again. His hands jerked like he had been shocked and he was helpless to see Luna disappear. He shook his head, his heart racing, eyes darting about for help from someone, anyway. He was scared. Why was this happening? Why did Luna leave? He did not want to be alone. He did not want her to leave him…

Another violent jerk and Noctis fell flatly against his pillows closing his eyes, tears streaming down his face. His head was throbbing. His throat felt dry and scratchy as he let out a soft whine.

“Noctis, it’s okay.”

A voice. Another one. He opened his eyes to see Luna, but it had not been her voice. There was another person who took a seat near in the chair near his bed. Ignis. Ignis was here. Luna had gone to get help, she was not leaving him.

Ignis recorded the seizures with this phone, he knew the healers would want to look at it, and after a little while Noctis began to settle down. Luna wiped the tears from Noctis’ face, telling him he was okay while Ignis played with his hair to try and calm the prince down. Noctis sighed looking up at the ceiling. His head felt a little lighter, but now he just felt tired.

Luna ran her fingers down his arm and turned her attention to Ignis. “It’s like we find one thing, treat that, and something else pops up.” She said. “This isn’t fair to him.”

“I know. Hopefully after Noctis has the MRI we’ll know what to do next.” Ignis said, paused, then added, “I’ll talk to the healers about putting him on an anticonvulsant. There are several options with minimal side effects.”

“And that will stop the seizures?”

“It will help control them.” Ignis said, emphasizing the word control. He put his hand to Noctis forehead noting his lack of responsiveness, he just continued to look upward in a daze. He was still warm as well, but not as bad as the other day. The antibiotics were working.

“How are you feeling?” He asked. Noctis did not answer, only continuing to stare upward at the ceiling, blinking slowly. Ignis sighed almost expecting Noctis to continue to stare at nothing when he heard the prince cough. He then moved his mouth, licking his lips and the roof of his mouth. “Thirsty?”

Noctis turned his attention to Ignis and the royal advisor noticed a change, a small glimmer of recognition, followed by a small nod. Ignis hid his surprise at the fact Noctis was able to give him some kind of answer, but could not hide his relief, neither could he keep himself from smiling. Luna smiled too.

“I’ll get him some water.” Luna said and she started to move away. Noctis let out a gasp and grabbed her arm as tight as he could manage. “Noct?”

“D-d-don’t….le-leeave…” He stammered, his voice raw and dry. Choked as well, it almost sounded like he was struggling to speak. The words were clear enough to understand, but they sounded off, the pronunciation was overemphasized in the wrong places. Luna and Ignis looked at him then each other.

“You heard him. He doesn’t want you to leave.” Ignis said and then stood up. “I’ll get Noctis some water, you should lie down. You look like you could use some sleep.”

Luna nodded feeling her eyes start to become heavy, her sleeping pills were starting to work. She took a quick look around and noticing that there was nothing in her way that she would accidentally pull out, she laid herself down next to Noctis, resting her head on the spare pillow and covering herself with a leftover blanket. Ignis grabbed a glass and retreated to the bathroom.

Luna continued to watch her fiancé. His eyes were heavy and kept closing only to fly open again. He was tired but trying very hard to stay awake, Luna hoped he would go back to sleep. Between his nightmare’s and the healers waking him to feed him, Noctis was not getting a lot of sleep.She checked the clock and noted that in another hour a healer would be in to give him more of that nutritional formula. Then a few hours after he would be taken down to the medical wards.

“Big day tomorrow morning, but after you should be able to relax.” Luna said getting his attention, only to be met with an empty expression. What made Ignis’ question break through whatever barrier was between them? She took his hand, and noticed he had not flinched at her touch. He looked down at where there hands met. “We’re going to help you get better, I promise.”

Noctis looked up at her. His eyes stared into hers and she felt like she was staring into the soul of a broken and confused man. Broken. That’s what Niflheim had done, broken him to pieces and now they had to put him back together. However seeing his empty face just made her fear they would not be able to. That Niflheim had torn him to pieces and he was nothing more than a tortured doll.

Luna shook those concerns from her head. It had been barely two days. Just because he was not springing to life did not mean that he was going to stay like this. He would get better. She squeezed his hand tighter trying to keep herself together.

“We’re going to help you get better.” She said. “It’s gonna be a little rough, but you have us, alright? We’ll always be here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

If Noctis understood anything Luna had said she did not know, his expression did not change. Then she saw his eyes open a little more and felt his hand pull against hers. She loosened her grip and felt his hand lightly hit her thigh. A little more effort and he bent his elbow, the bandages and gauze making a small noise as they crinkled together. Awkwardly his hand brushed her upper arm before somehow finding its way to her face. He let the back of his fingers touch her cheek, lightly caressing it.

Luna stared at him blinking as his finger moved a little close to her eye and she felt something wet on her cheek. Tears. She had been crying. Noctis made a small noise as a look of worry crossed his face. Worried for her. Luna gave him a warm smile.

“It’s okay.” She said. “I’m fine.”

Noctis continued to stare at her before yawning and closing his eyes. He was tired and Luna smiled a little as she yawned. They were both tired, a rarity. Noctis was normally the tired one, with Luna being the one he would drag kicking and screaming (but laughing) to bed with him. She moved a little closer to him and closed her eyes. Tonight she would be willingly joining him in sleep. 

* * *

 “If this is going to be a regular thing, we should keep him in the medical ward.” One of the healers said. They were wheeling Noctis down in one of the medical beds. “It would be easier to keep an eye on him.”

“I understand, but trust me when I say that keeping him out of a hospital environment would be better for him.” Ignis said, though he found his words had little pull to them. Keeping Noctis somewhere it was easier for the healer’s to get to him would be better, but Noctis hated hospitals. He hated the sterile environment, the healers, the feeling that he was going to die every time he was admitted to one. Ignis was worried that those preconceived anxieties would aggravate Noctis’ current mental state. If Gladiolus simply lifting him onto the medical bed had caused a full blown panic attack, he hated to imagine what being in a hospital would do to him. It took awhile for Luna to calm him down; holding him, rubbing his back, and whispering softly to him until he relaxed.

Ignis was glad she could keep him so calm. He just wished he could do the same...

“Noctis stays in the suites with us unless his condition worsens.” Luna said, her voice firm when the healer tried to protest Ignis request. The advisor noted the dark circles under the young Tenebraen’s eyes. Even with her medication she barely got three hours of sleep. “How long are these tests going to take?”

The healer sighed in defeat, but answered her question. The MRI would allow them to take pictures of Noctis’ brain and they did not expect it to take longer than twenty minutes. The EEG would take longer, because Noctis was so tired they wanted to use the opportunity to do a sleep test. Luna nodded as she listened occasionally glancing at Noctis. The prince’s eyes would open and close every few seconds, the noise and movement disturbing his sleep.

“You’re going to be okay. Ignis and I are here.” She told him.

Gladiolus and Prompto stayed behind. After Prompto’s outburst the other day the healers were reluctant to have him along, so Ignis suggested they find something to do in the meantime. He would not be surprised if Prompto was already looking for a movie or cartoon to watch when they got back, maybe even trying to get some popcorn from the palace’s kitchen. Noctis did not look like he would be in the mood for watching any movies, but if given the chance Prompto would put one on anyway and cuddle up to his best friend just to be with him.

Ignis filled out the necessary paperwork while Luna spoke to Noctis, assuring him the test would not hurt him and that she would be just outside waiting for them. She placed a kiss on Noctis’ forehead and took a seat, book in hand to keep her occupied. Ignis walked into the room with the healer and slowly - keeping Noctis calm while moving him was difficult - laid the young prince down on the bed of the machine and covered him with the blanket.

“This won’t take long. Try and relax.” Ignis said, slowly, hoping that his words broke through whatever mental barrier was hanging over his friend’s mind. He put his hand to Noctis’ shoulder and watched as the young man took a deep breath, but was otherwise unresponsive. “Lie still. The machine will be loud, but don’t worry. It won’t hurt you.” He tried to keep his statement short and simple hoping it got through to his friend. Noctis looked at him, but did not say anything.

“Mr. Scientia please come with me to the control room.” The healer told him. Ignis nodded but kept his attention on Noctis.

“I’ll be in the next room.” He told the young prince. “I’m nearby. Don’t worry.”

He took his hand off Noctis shoulder and started to follow the healer to the other room. He heard Noctis whimper and had to keep himself from looking at him. Noctis was scared, whether of the machine or being left alone Ignis was not sure. He felt a sharp pang in his chest, leaving Noctis alone when he was scared was not something Ignis wanted to do, but he could not stay in the room during the scan. He stepped into the control room.

“He’s ready.” Ignis told her. At least he hoped he was ready. The healer started the machine and Ignis watched as Noctis was moved into the machine. Ignis hoped that his prince understood enough of what was going on to lie still, if he moved they would need to do retakes, which meant a longer procedure.

After a little time an image appeared, crisp and clear, on the screen, but while the image was clear, Ignis frowned at the contents. Parts of Noctis’ brain were showing up dark on the scan. The healer started another scan and within minutes there was another image of Noctis’ brain, the dark parts more noticeable on the right of his brain.

“That does not look good.” Ignis muttered.

“It’s not. Those dark parts? That’s where the brain controls speech and language comprehension.” The healer explained not taking her eyes off the image. Ignis cursed under his breath. There was damage; he had anticipated the possibility but had been hoping to be wrong. The healer had the MRI take another scan and as it did so opened a nearby drawer. She pulled out a small stack of photos. “When we’re done I want to do a quick test before we take him for his EEG. Nothing invasive, I just want ask him a few questions.”

Ignis nodded, but was not sure how Noctis was going to answer questions if he was having difficulty understand anything. The healer took her remaining scans and pressed a button to pull Noctis out of the machine. The scans would be sent to an expert who could help them determine their next move. She shut down the machine and Ignis reentered the room and approached the bed to find Noctis lying still, eyes closed, breathing softly.

He had fallen asleep during the scan. Ignis shook his head, but found himself smiling a little. Some things never changed. In fact he was a little relieved to find Noctis slept through the entire thing. He gave Noctis a light shake to wake him up and helped him into a sitting position. The prince moaned a little his head falling against Ignis shoulder. Ignis could feel him shivering from cold. Noctis was to thin to retain body heat.

“Prince Noctis, can I ask you some questions?” The healer asked as she entered the room. Ignis helped the prince sit up straighter and directed his attention to the healer. The healer showed him one of the pictures. It was of a puppy with a ball in it’s mouth.

“What is this?” She asked. Noctis stared at the picture and after a few long seconds the healer pointed at the puppy and repeated herself. “What is this?”

Noctis continued to stare at the picture, as though she had not said anything. The healer was about to put the picture away when Noctis made a small noise. “D-du….d….pu….”

Noctis stuttered, trying to answer the question, but he sounded like it took all the effort he could manage to form coherent sounds. Ignis understood what Noctis was trying to say, that the picture was a dog, a puppy, or a pet, but seeing Noctis struggle to say it was difficult to watch. And his thin body became shaky as he tried.

“D-d-doog…” Noctis stammered after several tries, but the word sounded strange and over emphasized. The healer looked at the picture, nodded, and held out another one. She asked the same question and again Noctis struggled to answer. “C-c-c-aaat-t…”

Again the healer looked at the picture and nodded. “Just one more question.” The healer said. She opened the door and motioned for Luna to come inside. The healer moved the young woman closer so she was in Noctis line of sight, and Ignis noticed his friend’s eyes light up a little at her presence. “Who is this woman?”

Noctis looked at the healer and then Luna. Ignis noticed Noctis looked uneasy. “L...L-L…” He started stuttering on the name. He shook his head, a confused and pained expression on his face. He knew her name, he knew her name. He did...he did know her name!

“L-Lu...Lu...” He tried again, but found his voice choking and unable to speak as his body shook harder.

Why couldn’t he say her name? Why couldn’t he say her name?

“Noct.” Luna said taking his hand and putting another on his shoulder to try and calm him. “It’s okay.”

Noctis was silent, but he shook his head and cast his gaze down so his hair was hiding his face. It was not okay. Something was wrong with him. Ignis wrapped his arm around the prince to calm him and looked at the healer. “I think that’s enough.” He said as Luna tried to calm him by wrapping his back.

“Yes, you're right.” The healer said writing something down. “Let’s take him for his EEG, then he can rest in his room.”

Ignis nodded in agreement. Noctis was completely still and let himself be put back on the bed. He got a good look at Noctis face and saw there was no light in those eyes. 

* * *

Prompto sighed as he rolled over on the bed and looked at the clock. It would still be a few more hours until Noctis, Ignis, and Luna would be back. He hoped Noctis would be okay, seeing his dazed friend panic when carried left him worried for his friend. Gladiolus felt worse, the man had been upset for causing Noctis’ freakout and had buried himself in looking up information on the internet so he did not make the same mistake twice.

Prompto had been trying to go back to sleep, but found himself unable to. He felt like he was lying down for hours but when he checked the clock only a few minutes passed. So he sat up and wondered if he could find something to do to pass the time. He did not want to leave the palace since he wanted to for Noctis to get back. He considered going swimming, but then remembered that he did not have a swimsuit, and guessed that Solheim’s palace was just as strict as Lucis’ about skinny dipping.

“You think Noct will want to do anything when he gets back?” He asked getting Gladiolus’ attention.

“To be honest? Probably not. Iggy said he didn’t sleep well last night.” Gladiolus said.

“Yeah I know, but still...Would be nice to get him to smile.” Prompto said scratching the back of his neck as he tried futilely to think of something. He looked at his phone then back to Gladiolus and noticed he was writing something on a pad of paper. “Whatcha working on?”

“Trying to put together a training regimen for Noct. He’s going to need to get his strength up once he’s out of bed.” Gladiolus said as he crossed something out. He sighed and put the pencil down putting a hand to his head. “But I have no idea where to begin. He doesn’t look strong enough for the our basics. And who knows what’s going on in his head…can’t believe this happened.”

Prompto watched his friend in silence, at first unsure what to say. That was when Gladiolus growled in frustration and slammed his fist on the table. Prompto jumped startled by the sound which Gladiolus noticed. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t worry about it.” Prompto said, “I mean, it’s tough. But there isn’t much we can really do other than wait, right?.”

“Feel like all we’ve been doing is waiting.” Gladiolus muttered, “I swear to Etro, we should have been more prepared. He should never have been taken from the castle.”

“Gladio-”

“I’m his bodyguard! I should have been able to protect him. I should have stopped that bitch from taking him to Niflheim! Then Idola wouldn’t have been able to...” He stopped as Prompto sat up on the bed. “Their gonna pay for this. If Noctis isn’t strong enough to kill Idola, I’d happily do it for him.”

“We all would.” Prompto said. “If Noct can’t do it, I’ll put a bullet in Idola’s head. Make him wish he never screwed with us.”

Gladiolus chuckled. If Ignis and Luna were thinking the same as them they would have to draw straws to see who got a piece of Idola. However as happy as Gladiolus would be slicing the mad king in half they had more important priorities. “Well, what matters now is helping Noctis. We’ll deal with Idola after.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation was interrupted when by a knock on the door. The sudden sound caught Prompto by surprise, but the blonde jumped out of bed and hurried over. His first thought was that the healers were back, but that made no sense. They would have come in from the other room. He opened the door to be face to face with one of the maids.

“Oh. Hey.” Prompto said then realized at the maids questioning glance how informal he sounded. He cleared his throat loudly which only made her confused. “I mean, hello, can I help you?”

“That sounded so forced.” Gladiolus said a grin on his face. Prompto glared at him before turning his attention back to the maid.

“Is Lady Lunafreya here?” The woman asked peeking into the room.

“Sorry. Luna went with Iggy - I mean Ignis to the medical wards.” Prompto told her. “Is there something you need? We can call her if you-”

“No, it's fine.” The maid cut him off and held up something that Prompto had not even realized she was holding. “We took Prince Noctis’ clothes down to the laundry to be cleaned at her request and one of the workers found this on his belt. It looks important so we thought he might want it back.”

She held up the item in question and Prompto noticed that it was a knife inside a fancily decorated sheath. Prompto took it and looked it over. Last he checked Noctis did not carry a knife on himself. It did not look like one of Ignis’ either. Maybe Gladiolus knew about it. “I’ll make sure he gets it. Thanks.” He said.

The maid nodded and walked off. Prompto closed the door and walked back over to Gladiolus holding the knife out for him. “What’s that?” He asked.

“Some knife they found on Noct’s clothes.” Prompto said handing it over to the bodyguard. “You ever seen it before?”

Gladiolus looked it over with a careful eye. He had suggested in the past that Noctis carry a pocket knife, just in case he was ever in danger and could not call his phantom swords, but the prince never did. The knife in question was not a pocket knife. Gladiolus examined the sheath noting the design. It was not at all like what he would see in Lucis. It was closer in design to Tenebrae, but there were enough differences to tell him it was not from there. “This looks like it’s from Niflheim.”

“Niflheim?” Prompto repeated voice going up in pitch. “Why would someone from Niflheim give him a knife?”

“Don’t know.” Gladiolus said though his mind was coming up with all sorts of reasons that he did not want to entertain. He pulled the knife out of its sheath and examined the blade. It was clean and sharp. Whoever gave it to Noctis took great care of it. Combined with the design of the sheath he guessed that whoever the original owner was of a high rank. He turned his attention to the hilt and frowned when he found a name.

“Well what do we have here?” Gladiolus said, “Dominus Aldercapt….”

“Who?” Prompto asked.

“One of Niflheim’s previous kings. He’d be rolling in his grave if he saw what Idola’s done to his country.” The bodyguard explained, “This knife is a family heirloom, though why Idola would give it to him I have no idea. Or maybe...” He stopped himself as a thought occurred to him. Idola would not give something so precious to Noctis, but it was possible someone else did. Someone close to Idola.

“Or maybe?” Prompto asked. Gladiolus frowned, but shook his head.

“I have an idea who could have given this to him, but I can't say for sure." Gladiolus said. "We should tell Iggy and Luna about this."

“What about Noct? Maybe we can ask him...” Prompto started then stopped himself. Noctis had been so out of it since waking up that he probably would not be able to answer. There was also the slave crown to consider. Would Noctis know anything that happened to him after the crown was put on his head? He sighed and looked into the other room, wishing that the door would open and Noctis would be brought back in.

Gladiolus put the knife in the desk drawer for the time being and decided he needed to get out of the palace for a little bit. Take a walk to help him clear his head. Prompto wanted to go with him, but decided that he wanted to wait until Noctis got back. He took his phone and started looking around for something to do or watch.

Next thing he knew he heard the door in the other room open. He poked his head in to see the healers wheeling Noctis back into the room. Prompto sent a text to Gladiolus and jumped off the bed and entered the room.

“Hey!” He said then looked around and noticed two important people were absent. “Where’s Iggy and Luna?”

“Their speaking to a specialist.” One of the women said focusing on trying to help Noctis up so he could be moved. When one of the healer’s touched him, he pulled back as though he were trying to move away from them and his closed eyes opened a little showing there dark grey color. Prompto heard her sigh, Noctis was so tired he was becoming difficult.

“Can I try?” Prompto asked. He was not as strong as Gladiolus so he could not carry Noctis, but he could still guide his friend and keep him steady. He just hoped he did not screw anything up and cause Noctis’ to have another panic attack. The healer moved to let Prompto closer.

“Hey buddy.” He said. Noctis’ eyes moved to him and he smiled a little. “Long day huh?”

Noctis closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

“Whoa hey there! You can’t sleep in this thing, we need to get you in a proper bed.” Prompto said getting the prince to open his eyes again. He pulled the bed railing down so he could slip his arm underneath Noctis’ upper back. Noctis’ eyes suddenly flew open and he gasped, his body becoming tense. “It’s okay, you’re gonna be fine.” Prompto told him, but that seemed to do little to calm his friend’s rising panic.

Even seeing his thin frame, Prompto did not expect Noctis to be so light, but he was hesitant about trying to carry him. Instead he carefully encouraged Noctis to sit up, and moved him to sit on the edge of the medical bed. He kept his arm wrapped around him noting that he could feel Noctis shivering.

“Okay, Noct listen.” Prompto said. “I’m going to move you from this bed,” Prompto touched the medical beds uncomfortable mattress, “to that one.” He pointed to the queen sized bed. “Okay? Just a few small steps.”

Noctis kept quiet, shivering, eyes on the bed. It looked comfortable and he wanted to sleep... but sleeping brought him back to that cold prison cell….

Prompto waved a hand in front of his eyes to get him to look at him. Prompto repeated himself, the words going in one ear and then out the other. “Ready?” Prompto asked and gently pushed Noctis off the medical bed.

The moment Noctis feet touched the floor, his legs collapsed underneath him. Noctis’ eyes widened as he felt himself slip and his breath sharp as he Prompto tighten his grip around him. Almost immediately he forgot it was Prompto trying to help him and he tried to pull away crying out in fear, but Prompto kept him close, knowing if he fell his panic would become worse. So thinking quickly, he pulled Noctis onto his legs, and in one swift motion moved him to the bed, gently laying him down and covering him with a blanket before mimicking what Luna had done earlier. He kept his arm wrapped around Noctis, holding him close and rubbing his back, assuring him he was safe. “It’s okay. You're okay. You’re safe. Remember? No one here is going to hurt you.” He told him trying to keep his voice calm and steady.

Slowly he felt Noctis body begin to relax, his breathing becoming even. He felt Noctis’ hand touch his arm briefly and heard a small noise come from the prince’s mouth. It was not a word or a sentence, just a simple noise.

Prompto continued to hold Noctis until he felt his body become limp, his breathing becoming rhythmic. He pulled back a little to see Noctis had fallen asleep. Prompto sighed, relieved to see his friend sleeping and pulled the remaining blankets over his friend's body to keep him warm. He then looked at the healers. “I think we’re good.”

The healers made sure that the IV feeding Noctis his antibiotics was secure and did a few rudimentary checks, before informing Prompto that Noctis had been ‘fed’ after his EEG and that someone would be back to check on him in an hour. They then left, leaving Prompto alone in the room with his sleeping friend. Prompto looked around the room wondering what to do before deciding to climb on the bed. He turned on the television, turning down the volume to not disturb his friend’s sleep.

Prompto watched the TV in silence, glancing at his sleeping friend now and again. Noctis’ face was still very pale, sunken in, and there were dark circles around his eyes because he was not getting enough sleep. There was a frown on his face and his fingers twitched a little. He was dreaming. About what, Prompto did not know, but he hoped it was something nice. About Lucis, or Luna, or Solheim’s beaches. Did Noctis even know they were in Solheim? It came up in conversation but Noctis had been unresponsive.

Noctis eyes scrunched tight and he let out a small whine and on instinct Prompto reached out to shake him awake. The moment he put a hand on him Noctis’ eyes snapped open and went right to him. Prompto moved away as quick as he could. “Sorry.” He said as Noctis stared at him. “I just thought….you looked like you were having a bad dream and….”

He stopped seeing that Noctis just continued to stare at him. The blank stare made his chest ache. He hated that Noctis reactions to anything were panic or outright unresponsiveness. Prompto diverted his eyes, realizing he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Should he try talking to Noctis? If he did, what was he supposed to say? Did Noctis even know who he was? Prompto bit his lip, suddenly nervous under Noctis’ blank gaze and shifted his attention to the television.

“Oh, hey, you remember this show?” He asked. Noctis did not look at the tv, he just kept looking at him. “Hey look.” Prompto said pointing to the television. Noctis followed where Prompto was pointing and stared at the television.

“This aired when we were in high school. Remember?" The blonde asked. "You got me the DVDs for my birthday. I freaked out because they were so expensive, but of course to you it was no big deal. You just wanted to get me something you knew I’d like. Man, I must have watched those things a hundred times.”

Noctis said nothing and just stared at the television. Prompto watched him, noticing Noctis’ blinks become heavier as the minutes went by. He was falling asleep, but trying hard to stay awake, like those times they watched a late night movie.

“You want me to turn it off?” Prompto asked. Noctis did not answer and made no indication that he even heard Prompto say anything. He eyes closed for a few seconds before snapping open again, still as hollow as before.

He hated this. Prompto hated how out of it his friend was. He wanted to know what was going on in Noctis’ head so he could find a way to fix it. But even if he did know, he knew there was nothing he could do. There was no magic spell that could fix trauma or the infections rattling his best friends body. No magic that could fix being almost starved to death. No magic that could heal whatever the slave crown did to him.

Something had to have been going on in Noctis head though. He turned his head sometimes when one of them said his name, and when Luna took his hand Prompto had seen him move his thumb over her fingers. He had to be taking something in...or maybe he was just moving on autopilot. Maybe he was just reacting to things and not actually there.

“Noct?” Prompto asked before he could stop himself, and saw Noctis look at him. Seeing those grey eyes made him not want to ask his question, but he needed an answer.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked feeling his chest tighten when he saw the blank look on Noctis face not change. “What’s my name?” He asked, his voice choking in desperation as Noctis continued to staring at him. No response. Noctis was not answering. Prompto felt his stomach tighten in knots and moved to excuse himself.

He stopped when he felt Noctis grabbed his hand, looking back with wide eyes. He saw Noctis frowning, his hand shaking as he felt onto his wrist. The grip was not strong but it was probably all his friend could manage. “P-Pr-Pro….” Noctis stammered, struggling to put the name together. Consciously struggling to speak. “Pro...Prom….”

Prompto stared at him, seeing Noctis face scrunch up, a mess of emotions across it. Fear. Frustration. Prompto moved himself closer and wrapped his arms his best friend, pulling him up a little and cradling him. He felt Noctis body freeze up before becoming very relaxed and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Close enough. That’s close enough.” Prompto told him holding his best friend. That one little moment told Prompto everything he needed to know. Noctis was not gone, he was still with them. He just needed a little more help than usual right now. Prompto watched as Noctis fell back to sleep and continued to hold him close as the television played in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Errors remaining in this chapter will be corrected when I can tolerate looking at it again. >_>


	10. The Pain of the Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis dreams continue to haunt him. Ignis and Luna talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter exists. Finally! Sorry for the lateness, I had not planned for this to take so long, but internet was shoddy. Anyhow, hope everyone who is still reading enjoys ^^
> 
> More cleanup will be made over time.

“Noctis, can you say my name?”

Noctis continued to stare out the window looking at Ignis when the question registered after a few slow seconds. He sighed, the question was one of many he kept being asked over the past several days. How are you feeling? Can you understand me? Can you say your name? Can you say my name? Do you know where you are? Noctis was finding himself becoming frustrated being asked the same questions over and over again. He knew why he was being asked those questions he could not help but hate being asked.

“Ig-nis.” He answered. He was still stuttering so it was broken up, but it was clear and concise. Ignis smiled like he did every time Noctis said it and nodded. He motioned to Prompto.

“And him?” Ignis asked and Noctis looked at the blonde young man.

“Pro-Prom...Promp-to.”

Hearing Noctis say his name made Prompto grin and he took his best friends hand. “Yeah. There you go.” He said. Noctis made a small noise and his lips stretched into a small smile before he sighed and looked to Luna who was sitting next to him. Ignis decided that would be a good time to move onto the next question.

“Her name highness?”

“Luna.”

“Can you say her full name?” Noctis answered at first with a groan. He was starting to feel tired and his head was beginning to hurt. “Noctis.” Ignis said and Noctis just groaned louder. “Noctis, I know this is difficult but I want you to answer my question. Can you say Luna’s full name?”

Noctis groaned again, but opened his mouth to speak. “L...Lu-nafre….frey...a.” He managed before shaking his head and resting it against his pillows. He looked back at her, an apologetic look on his face. “S-sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Luna said taking his hand. “Better than yesterday.” She gave him a smile to assure him everything was okay and while Noctis did nod a little he turned his head away and let out a deep breath. His breathing slowly settled and after a few seconds his friends noticed it became steady and rhythmic. Luna frowned, “Noct are you asleep?” She asked and then after a few seconds looked at the others. “He’s asleep.”

“Looks like the meds knocked him out cold again.” Gladiolus said a little surprised before turning to Ignis. “Sorry Iggy, I know you wanted this to go on longer.”

“It’s fine.” Ignis said. He had wanted to continue Noctis’ speech therapy session for a little longer, but if his friend’s body was calling for sleep, there was little he could do about it. “We’ll break for lunch. We’ll continue when he wakes up. If he feels up to it.”

“You think he will be?” Prompto asked running his fingers over Noctis’ fingers. “Ever since they started giving him those pills for his seizures all he wants to do is sleep.”

“The healers did say the most common side effect was drowsiness. And with Noctis’ current condition and general sleeping habits I suppose we shouldn't be surprised he’s so tired.” Ignis said thinking his words over.

“At least he’s getting better. Right?” Gladiolus said. Ignis frowned and took Noctis arm. He pulled up the sleeve of the black shirt the prince was now wearing to get a good look at his elbow, which had been wrapped in gauze after the healers removed his IV.

“Yes, he is getting better.” Ignis said. He had expected recovery was slow; the week had been a long one for all of them, but Noctis was improving little by little. The infections covering his body and in his lung had cleared up and he was no longer on antibiotics. His ankles and wrists were healing faster than than the healers expected, no doubt in Ignis’ mind that it was thanks to the crystal still pumping healing magic into Noctis’ body. The fresh skin was still soft and tender, sometimes Noctis winced in pain when it was touched, or complained about itchiness under his right arm’s cast.

With the IV and other medical devices removed, Ignis decided it was time to get Noctis out of the hospital gown and into some actual clothing. Prompto had jumped in excitement and picked out the outfit himself. Noctis had protested at first, shaking his head upon seeing the color of the clothes. “N-not...b-bl...blaack.” Had been the complaint - a complaint that brought them a lot of relief - but he eventually let Ignis dress him. The advisor had watched as Noctis ran his fingers across the material in silence, as though the prince was unsure what to make of the material.

A wheelchair had been added to the room with the expectation Noctis would eventually want to move around the castle. However Noctis did not have the energy or desire to leave his bed. For all the physical improvements he made, each day brought new obstacles. The healers put him on an anticonvulsant to try and keep his seizures under control, which made him tired. However his nightmare’s made restful sleep almost impossible. He woke up screaming, scared and confused, a mumbling mess who could not form a proper word no matter how hard he tried. He tried but couldn’t tell them what he was dreaming about, or write it down, the injuries caused by the slave crown made it difficult for Noctis to sort out which characters formed what words he wanted. Ignis could see the frustration on his face, along with the ever darkening circles under his eyes.

Noctis nightmare’s were images festering in his brain, threatening to eat him up from the inside. Ignis sighed as he reached up and ran a hand through Noctis’ hair. “He’s getting better, but it’ll still be a long time before we can leave Solheim.” Ignis said.

“How long?” Prompto asked. “A few more weeks? Months?”

“It’s hard to say.” Ignis said, “Noctis’ injuries are not just physical, even when he gets to a healthy weight, we don’t know if he’ll be well enough to travel.”

Ignis moved his hand away from Noctis’ head and the sleeping prince rolled onto his side making a small high pitched noise. When Luna put her hand on his shoulder he subconsciously curled up closer to her, shaking a little bit. They watched him for a bit, before the young woman spoke up, looking at them. “I wish I knew what he was dreaming about.”

“We all do.” Gladiolus said watching his closest friend sleep an restless slumber. 

* * *

His name was Noctis Lucis Caelum.

His friends were Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum, and Gladiolus Amicitia.

His fiancé was Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. She preferred to be called Luna.

He was in...Altissia? No….he was in... Solheim. He was in Solheim because….because ...something….he wasn’t sure. Did they tell him? He couldn’t remember. Ignis had told him something, but he could not remember what. The words were like white noise; static and garbled gibberish that made no sense. Most words made no sense. On his tongue they felt wrong.

But he knew they should not feel wrong. That what his friends were saying was stuff he should perfectly understand. He could tell from how Prompto laughed after saying something about socks that it was a comment that was supposed to be light hearted and funny. But when he said it and the others laughed, he could not understand what they were laughing about. Prompto had spoken to fast. It was harder to understand them when they spoke so fast.

It should not have been hard to speak. He could think of what he wanted to say and do, but when he tried speaking nothing sounded right. Something was wrong with his head. He was not sure what exactly, even though he was sure Ignis had told him, but he knew something was wrong with his head.

Noctis was woken up by the sound of voices. He opened his eyes, his vision blurry and his head heavy like it was stuck in a thick fog. He blinked trying to make sense of what was going on around him and turned his head to the bathroom door in time to see Luna step out in a long white dress that hugged her hips. Ignis was in the room as well, the suit he wore more formal than his usual attire. They were talking, Noctis watched them, trying to follow along.

A word caught his ear and reached his brain. King. They were talking about a king. Noctis opened his mouth to try and ask them what they were talking about and where they were going. The words he tried to form were simple sounds that carried no real meaning, but they got their attention. Luna looked at him and smiled, before taking a seat in a chair next to his bed. “Good morning.” She said gently putting her warm fingers against his cold skin. “Did you sleep well?” She asked.

Noctis opened his mouth to answer, only to find words still weren’t working for him. He nodded slowly then looked to Ignis.

“We’re going to speak to Solheim’s King. See if he would be willing to aid us in reclaiming Lucis’ crystal.” Ignis told him.

It took a bit of time for Noctis to process that information, but when it did what his eyes widened. They were to meet with Solheim’s King. He needed to meet with Solheim’s King. Slowly Noctis moved trying to sit himself up only to stop when he felt Ignis’ gloved hand on his shoulder. “Highness, rest.” He said. Noctis frowned and pushed Ignis’ hand off him to try and sit up. Again Ignis placed a hand on Noctis’ shoulder. “Noctis, you need to rest. You aren’t strong enough to walk yet.”

“I-I…” Noctis tried to speak, but found himself stumbling on the words. So instead he shook his head. If they were going to be meeting with Solheim’s King, he needed to be there. He was Lucis’ prince, his presence was required. He needed to be there. He wanted to be there.

Again he tried to move Ignis’ arm off him, but his advisor tightened his grip on his shoulder to keep him from sitting up. He then looked at Luna. “I don’t think he understands what I’m saying.”

Hearing part of that sentence made Noctis cry out in frustration and shake his head. The two looked at him then Luna looked at Ignis. “I think he does. He wants to go with us.” At Luna’s statement Noctis quickly nodded before continuing to try and speak.

“I-I-I...want...to…” Noctis stammered and hated how hard it was to just say a simple sentence. Ignis watched him, face less stern for several seconds, and grip on Noctis’ shoulder less forceful.

“I know you do.” Ignis said, “But this is going to be a long meeting, and you’re too sick to-”

“I...Lu...ci-cis’...”

Ignis stayed quiet as Noctis struggled to speak. He admired that despite being ill, Noctis wanted to continue to fighting for his country, but in his current condition he would not make it through the meeting. The King and Queen were already aware that Noctis was in poor condition, but it was one thing to hear about it. Noctis still looked like a skeleton with skin stretched over him, someone was going to react badly to his appearance, especially if he collapsed. And Ignis was worried about what could happen if he collapsed. “This won’t be the last meeting, there will be others. You should sit out of this one.”

“He’s right Noct.” Luna said, taking his hand and holding it gently. “Lord Solheim understands why you’ll be absent.” Then grinned and added. “Besides I’ll be there so Ignis doesn’t screw up.”

Ignis glared at her, but let his face soften when he saw a brief smile cross Noctis face. Only brief, the amusement was quickly replaced with disappointment. Ignis checked the clock and noted it was time for Noctis to take his anticonvulsant. He fetched the medication from the bathroom along with a glass of water.

Noctis looked at the small pill and frowned in disapproval, but with a shaky hand put it in his mouth and downed the glass. He then let the two help him lie back down. Noctis stared at the ceiling and sighed. He was going to be stuck in this bed for the rest of his life. That was how he currently felt. Like a useless prince who couldn’t do anything but lie in a hospital bed.

“This won’t be forever Noctis.” Ignis told him. Noctis only heard garbled noises that reminded him of his condition and rolled over. He flinched a little when he felt one of them touch him and looked up. It was just Ignis. He relaxed a little and continued to lie on his side even as Ignis gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and Luna gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He didn’t look at them, he just kept his eyes on the wall until they became heavy and he fell back to sleep.

His dreams were the same as they always were when he slept; frightful.

_He shivered from cold and opened his eyes to realize he was lying in a pool of water on the floor. Even though he was still tired, something had woken him up. Hunger? He did not feel particularly hungry - which was probably a bad thing. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten. Maybe the cold woke him up? He did feel cold. And his arm hurt. He moved his hand to try and touch his arm only to stop when he saw blood dripping from his fingers. He was bleeding._

_Noctis groaned and sat up eyes widening as he realized the puddle he was in was covered in red. Red blood that was getting all over his arms, hands, and legs. He had been stripped of his clothes. Needle marks were on his arm and as the blood dripped over them they became puffy and the veins thick and hard. Noctis stared at them eyes wide in horror before crying out as he felt something grab him by the shoulders and push him back down. He screamed as he felt something cold and slimy hold him down, putting pressure on his arm._

_He screamed as he heard a loud cracking sound, but the scream was muffled as he was pulled into cold water. He shivered as he felt it touch every part of his body like ice, but realized right away for some reason that he could breath. He blinked staring up at light for a few seconds before feeling his arms and legs pulled underneath him. Something was moving him. He could feel his body being controlled, but try as he might he could not pull against the puppet strings._

_He looked down to see darkness around him, then up to see a large serpentine figure cloaked in shadow looking at him with piercing eyes. Those eyes made Noctis’ widen and his breath catch in his lungs as they filled with water. He coughed and choked as he realized he couldn't breath. His lungs were burning._

_He couldn’t breathe!_

_He grabbed his throat trying to scream as he saw the creature moved closer, it’s eyes piercing his mind._

“Noct! Noct wake up!”

Noctis woke up screaming and Prompto almost fell off the bed as the prince bolted upward, Gladiolus moved his arm away to give the prince some space. Noctis eyes were wide with fright, and he was shaking and gasping for air. “Noct?”

Noctis’ head turned right to Gladiolus, staring at him and shaking like a frightened animal. The look was off putting, but Gladiolus tried to keep himself relaxed and his voice even. “It’s okay. It was just a dream. Try and relax.”

Noctis did not say anything, but after blinking a few times he seemed to register his friend was there and began to look around the room, his sleep dulled mind confused by the environment. Where was he? Prison? No, the room was too warm and comfortable to be his prison cell. He was in...in a bedroom. In Altissia. No, not Altissia. He was in… in….Noctis looked back at Gladiolus the confusion clear on his face. “You alright?”

“Noct?” Prompto asked. He put his hand on Noctis’ shoulder and the prince almost jump out of his skin. “Easy there. It’s me.” Prompto said trying to give him a carefree grin. Noctis continued to stare at him, blinking a few times, as he started to wake up a little more and realize where he was. He was not in danger, but he kept staring at the blonde in front of him almost like he couldn’t recognize his face.

“F...F-Fili-us?” Noctis asked. Prompto frowned looking to Gladiolus for some kind of answer to an unspoken question. The bodyguard looked surprised, but did not say anything, so Prompto brought his attention back to Noctis, who continued to look at him with glazed eyes and a half asleep expression.

“Noct. I’m Prompto.” He said. Again Noctis just looked confused but after a few short seconds there was a small light of recognition in Noctis’ eyes. The prince looked around the room again. He was in a bedroom in Solheim’s palace. He could not remember why he was in Solheim, only that he was brought here after being locked up as a prisoner.

Thinking of that cell made Noctis shiver like he was cold only stopping when he felt Gladiolus wrap an arm around him and pull him into a hug. He took a deep breath looking at Prompto as his friend moved closer and took his hand. “Pro….Promp-to.”

“Yeah. It’s me, Prompto.” Prompto said. Noctis blinked slowly and looked up at the bodyguard he was being held by.

“Gladio…” He muttered, resting his head against the man had grown up seeing as an older brother. He then looked back at the wall in front of him. “W-we-where’s Fffilius?”

The two young men were silent and Prompto looked up at Gladiolus as though wanting some kind of answer. Gladiolus said nothing for a few seconds, surprised and trying to understand why Noctis was asking for someone he had not spoken to in years. “Noct, Filius is in Niflheim, remember?” He asked.

“N..Ni….”

Noctis sighed, giving up on trying to voice his thoughts out loud and let himself rest his head against Gladiolus’ chest. Right Filius was in Niflheim. He was not in Niflheim anymore. Noctis blinked a few times, his eyes becoming heavier until they closed, intending to fall back asleep.

The piercing, glowing eyes from his last dream were greeting him and Noctis forced his eyes open, moving strangely as he tried to push himself off his friend.. “You okay?” Gladiolus asked and Noctis shook his head, putting a hand to his head. It was starting to hurt because he was so tired, but seeing those eyes did not make him want to go back to sleep. Whatever monster he was seeing was just waiting to torture him in his dreams.

“Noct.” Prompto said moving closer to him and getting his attention. “What’s wrong?”

Noctis did not answer, just looked at his bedsheets in silence. He wanted to tell them about his dreams, but no matter how much he tried he couldn’t get the words to form properly. He let his hand drop to his side, tears began to stream down his face, though his expression did not change. Prompto watched almost startled by the tears before grabbing a kleenex from the nightstand.

“Hey hey, Noct don’t cry. Please. Don’t cry.”

Gladiolus let Prompto take over, watching as Prompto tried to dry his friends face only for the young prince to suddenly bury his face in Prompto’s shirt. Prompto froze up for a second before rubbing Noctis’ back hoping to try and calm him down.

Gladiolus put his hand to his forehead trying to think of if their was any way to make things easier for the young prince. Their had to be some way for Noctis to communicate with them, or at least something that could be done to help him cope with his dreams and make his waking hours less stressful. He frowned as an idea formed in his head; he was not sure if it would work or not, but seeing Noctis breaking apart was painful. He had to try something.

“Where are you going?” Prompto asked as Gladiolus got off the bed and started for the door.

“Into town. I’m going to buy something I think will help Noct. I won’t be long, but try and get him to go back to sleep.” Gladiolus told him and Prompto nodded as the bodyguard left the room and went back to soothing his best friend. 

* * *

Solheim’s court was smaller than Altissia’s, but it did not make the atmosphere less tense. In fact as Luna shook hands with some of the men and woman she felt like they were glaring at her. She should not have been surprised, Tenebrae and Solheim were always at odds with each other, even with the effort she and her co-workers went through to try and improve the two countries relationships. So she was not surprised when Ignis looked more relaxed and was greeted with smiles and jokes instead.

The last person to greet them was the king. He was a tall man in his fifties with an old face, though not nearly as old as Regis’. “It is good to see you again Ignis.” The King said taking Ignis’ hand when it was offered to him.

“It’s an honor to be here, I just wish we were under better circumstances.” Ignis said.

“Indeed. I’d much rather see you during a party than during wartime.” The older man said, a sad look in his eyes. “I, like everyone else, heard what happened to Regis. Please, give young Noctis my sympathies. How is the boy?”

Ignis sighed, a part of him wishing that the king would not have asked that. “I’m afraid Noctis is still very sick. He won’t be able to join us today.”

The King nodded in silence and Ignis could tell while the man was willing to accept Noctis’ absence he was still disappointed. “I never thought Idola mad enough to develop a slave crown. I trust the information my people have been able to uncover has been helpful?”

“It has. Thank you.” Ignis said. It was partially a lie. The information had been helpful, but mostly for reference and historical purposes. There had been some medical information but Ignis only briefly looked at it before tossing it aside. The crown had a high fatality rate, and the implications that Noctis could have been worse made him feel a little sick. It did not help that Niflheim had technically brought Noctis to them, they had not been able to rescue him.

If Idola had waited longer….Ignis pushed that thought out of his head as fast as he could. He did not need to entertain thoughts of what could have happened, he needed to focus on what was currently happening. At the moment he had a meeting with Solheim’s people and when it was over Noctis would hopefully be awake and ready for another speech session.

Ignis moved to the side and motioned to Luna. “Ms. Lunafreya will be joining us in his stead if you don’t mind.”

The king looked at her, a smile on his face, though Luna could see he was not as pleased to see her as he was Ignis. “Of course not. I wouldn’t dream of denying Tenebrae’s Ambassador an audience.” The king offered his hand and Luna took it, ignoring how tightly he squeezed her hand. “It is good to see you again Ms. Fleuret. I trust you have been well?”

“It has been a long few weeks, but I’m doing well, thank you.” Luna said keeping her voice nice and even. “Shall we begin?”

The meeting started after they took their seats and Ignis wasted no time getting to the point. They were requesting that Solheim’s army aid them in retaking the Lucis crystal from Niflheim. Questions were asked about the number of soldier’s they needed, as well as other details, including if any of their plans were motivated by revenge. Ignis was not sure how to answer that question, because yes revenge did play a part in his planning. They wanted Idola to pay for what he did to Noctis and Noctis wanted revenge for his father’s death. But he kept himself composed and assured them his main objective was to secure the crystal. Nothing more.

He was sure not all of them believed him.

Finally after almost an hour of talking, one of the King’s advisors brought up a concern Ignis hoped would have been forgotten about. “I’ll just start this by saying that my sympathies are with Lucis’ people, as well as the young prince. However this is a crystal related affair. While we promised to help Lucis if they ever needed it, it was agreed upon that Solheim would stay out of crystal related matters.”

“Yes that is true.” The king said. “Solheim has never had a crystal. While the other countries prospered because of their crystals, ours rose to power through persistence and hard work. You can see it in our culture. Our people start working young with the expectation they’ll be able to live fulfilling and comfortable lives.”

“And because of the country's unique position you have requested Solheim not be involved in any politics relating to the crystal. I understand.” Ignis said. “However we are desperate, and we have reason to believe that this war is going to be more than just crystals.”

“He is correct.” Luna said standing to attention, “Niflheim has violated many treaties regarding territory and war, and now may be developing illegal weapons - if the slave crown is a sign of things to come. While it is true that Idola’s main objective invading Lucis was the crystal, we have reason to believe the invasion was the start of something worse. His soldiers are at my country's borders and it’s very likely that he will also come after Solheim next.”

“You are certain?” The king asked. “He could be planning to attack Tenebrae for your crystal.”

“Our crystal has no power, it would be a waste of time to go after something that’s nothing more than a giant rock.” Luna told him wincing at her own bluntness.

“You think Idola wants something else?”

“I think he wants revenge.” Luna said, “After the last war, Niflheim was the scapegoat all the kingdoms placed blame on and because of this the country’s economy fell apart. It has no allies and little structure. It’s people live in poverty. And while their prince has worked hard to try and fix things the country is on the brink of collapse.”

“Ms. Lunafreya is correct.” Ignis said, “Idola doesn’t just want the crystal, he wants revenge. Altissia was attacked to make an example. Tenebrae will be next. Solheim will be dragged into this conflict whether you want to be involved or not.”

With Ignis’ statement, the room fell silent. The king’s advisers whispered suggestions into his ear, before the older man waved them away with a hand. After a moment of consideration he stood from his seat. “I have much to think about.” He said then looked at the rest of Solheim’s lords and ladies. “We all do. Unfortunately we have other matters we need to attend to, but be assured will put this at our highest priority.”

Ignis nodded, at this point that was all he expected them to do. “Thank you my lord.”

Pleasantries were exchanged before the two were escorted out of the room, the door being slammed shut after they left. Ignis walked the hall in silence, Luna next to him, the sounds of her heels clicking on the floor as she walked. Finally after turning a few corners Ignis stopped and leaned himself against the wall.

“What do you think?” Luna asked looking at his face and noting the frown on it.

“I think Solheim is more understanding than Altissia.” Ignis started, “But there's still the possibility that they will chose not to help us.”

“Because there's a crystal involved. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.” Luna said. Ignis nodded. “If they refuse to help what will happen to Noctis?”

“That might be one of the few things we don’t need to worry about.” Ignis told her, a small, relieved, chuckle escaping his lips. “The king would not just throw us out of the palace. We’d be allowed to stay until Noctis’ condition improved enough for us to leave the capital city. Afterward we could take refuge in the countryside. Gladio and Prompto could take a few odd jobs while I would continue to help Noctis in his recovery.”

Luna thought Ignis statement over. “Just you four? Is there something you want me to do?” She asked watching as Ignis frowned and didn’t give her an answer. “If Solheim denies our request for assistance the only option is Tenebrae, but with Niflheim at our borders the chances of them giving us aid are worse if we don’t have anyone else to back us up.”

Again Ignis did not say anything and Luna frowned at his silence. “I’m not involved because you don’t want me to be involved.” She concluded and again was met with silence. “I guess I should have seen this coming. You weren’t exactly thrilled when you found out Noctis and I wanted to spend as much down time as possible in Altissia. And of course you and Lord Regis’ staff were angry when Noctis called off his arranged marriage to Duchess Candace. Angry at me.”

“You can’t really blame them. That engagement had a lot of political ramifications. Calling it off almost destroyed Lucis and Altissia’s relationship.” Ignis said choosing his words carefully. This was not a conversation that he wanted to have right now.

“Yes. That’s why the first time Noctis asked me to marry him, I said no.” Luna told him. She took a few steps back and leaned comfortably against the wall. “I told him he needed to put his country first, but he wouldn’t have it. For anything else sure, but he kept saying that he couldn’t have me out of his life again. He went on about how everything and everyone he knew were people chosen for him and for once he wanted someone in his life because he picked them for himself. Obviously what he said isn’t completely true, Prompto’s the last person Regis would pick to be friends with his son, but I wasn’t going to correct him after he poured his heart out on me.”

“So you said yes.” Ignis said his statement being met with a nod from the young woman and a halfhearted smile.

“I guess you could say my love for Noctis would not let me say no a second time.” Luna said. “But that’s my point. Noctis made the decision. Noctis called off the marriage. And while it was nice laughing at the tabloids painting me like a villainous in a Disney film, I expected better from you Ignis.”

Ignis stayed silent diverting his eyes away from her. “Can I ask you something?” Luna asked. “Do you blame me for Altissia’s stalling? For us not being able to help Noctis sooner?”

Ignis winced at her questions, they were sharp like his knives being stabbed into his skin. His first reaction was to brush her prodding away and move on, however he knew if he did Luna would keep pushing until she got an answer. And if Noctis found out, the young prince would likely get upset. The last thing Noctis needed was something that would cause more stress. So he thought Luna’s question over and came to an answer. “No. I don’t.” He said.

“You don’t.” Luna repeated, a little surprised. Ignis could not blame her, he found himself a little surprised by his answer.

“I don’t. Even if Noctis was still engaged to Candace, Altissia’s goal was always to acquire more resources from Lucis’ crystal. Without the crystal, the kingdom of Lucis is useless in their eyes.” Ignis said, “At the very least Tenebrae sought self sufficiency and merely wanted Lucis’ assistance in helping them reach that point, Altissia wanted to ride off Lucis’ power as long as possible.”

“I see.” Luna said moving away a strand of hair that managed to escape her ponytail.

“Though I suppose it matters little at this point. Altissia is in shambles and you really do believe that Tenebrae would betray us to Niflheim for their own safety?” Ignis said. Luna nodded confirming that. “Well I suppose the only thing we can do then is hope Solheim agrees to aid us.”

“And when they do get the crystal back.”

“And get Noctis on the throne.” Ignis said, but he found himself uneasy saying so. He was not sure even after Noctis made a full recovery if he would be ready to be king. There was no question that for as much as Noctis tried, he was not his father. He did not have the strength or stamina to do everything his father could accomplish in a day. Not with the crystal constantly draining his strength, and the gifts Etro granted him after his childhood accident.

However those were worries Ignis could entertain when they got to that point. At the moment what was most important was that Noctis became well again. They could cross the hurdle of ruling a country when they got to it. 

* * *

Despite Prompto’s insistence Noctis had made it clear he did not want to go back to sleep, so the blonde held his best friend close, running his fingers in circles across Noctis’ back, in the hopes his friend could get some rest. The motion was soothing and had lulled Noctis into a trance. The prince’s eyes were mostly closed and he occasionally made a small sight. Prompto had been quiet, not wanting to ‘wake’ Noctis up.

Lunch had already come and gone. Noctis did not have much of an appetite, but did eat something and at Prompto’s insistence they left something the prince could snack on if he felt a bit hungrier. Prompto could easily tell Noctis was not hungry simply because he was so tired. “You sure you don’t want to sleep Noct?” He asked. Noctis let out a small groan as brushed his head against Prompto’s shoulder and shook his head.

He was not sure how much time had passed, but the sound of the door opening made Prompto turn around as it opened and Ignis and Luna stepped into the room. “Hey, welcome back. How’d things go?” Prompto asked. Noctis lifted his head a little eyes lighting up a bit at the sight of his fiancé.

“Better than Altissia.” Ignis said as he took off his shoes and placed them near the wall. “We’ll know what the king has to say in a few days.”

“In a few days?” Prompto asked sitting up. “So they may still say no?”

“Unfortunately, it is possible.”

Prompto groaned, hanging his head, before looking back up as Luna made her way over. She had kicked her shoes off as well and pulled part of her long dress up so it was easier for her to move around. Noctis blinked heavily eyes following her and when Luna put a hand to his cheek she noticed how dark and puffy they were. “Are you feeling alright?” She asked. Noctis made a small noise and moved his head a little so he was not looking directly at her.

“He’s not sleeping.” Prompto said getting their attention, “He woke up from another nightmare, but I can’t get him to go back to sleep.”

“That’s not good. Did he eat lunch?” Ignis asked. He looked around the room as Prompto nodded and noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Gladio?”

“He went out to get something. Said it would help Noct.” Prompto stopped trying to think of when Gladiolus left and took a quick look at the clock.

“Did he say what he was getting?”

“No, just that he thought it might help.” He said biting his lip as he saw Ignis frown.

Luna and Ignis changed into more casual clothing and Luna climbed back on the bed with Noctis and Prompto while Ignis took a seat next to them. Noctis looked at his fiancé and shifted a little, moving a little closer to her. The young blonde wrapped an arm around him, running fingers through his hair and watching as his eyes closed before snapping open and falling halfway shut again. Luna continued to run her fingers through his hair. Normally Noctis looked content, even happy, when she played with his hair, but today he looked miserable. Luna continued to watch his face, moving her hand to his forehead before pulling back.

“Ignis. He’s warm.” She said and Ignis stood up and got closer, putting his hand on Noctis’ forehead before shaking his head. Noctis was developing a fever.

“Noctis, you need to sleep. You’re going to get worse if you don’t rest.” Ignis told him. To his surprise, Noctis’ eyes widened and then he shook his head. Noctis did not want to sleep. “Highness...”

“D-don’t w-w-want to...” The prince stammered out looking right at him.

“Noctis, you aren’t going to get better if you don’t-”

“I d-don’t want to!” The room fell silent. Noctis’ words were clear and concise, frustrated, but terrified. His entire body had become tense and he shook under the blankets. Luna tried soothe him by rubbing the back of his head but Noctis shook his head again knocking her hand away. “D-d-don’t...wantto...go...b-b-back...th-th-there. N-no. No.” He said stuttering as his body shook. Again Luna tried to soothe him, and this time he was more receptive to her gestures, resting his head against her.

“What do we do?” Prompto asked. Ignis did not answer, unsure what he could do to convince Noctis to sleep. His friend seemed scared of what he was seeing and Ignis feared the only thing that could get Noctis to sleep at this point was passing out from exhaustion, which in the prince’s current condition could only make things worse.

A loud knock on the door got their attention and Gladiolus opened the door. “Oh, you’re back.” He said as he noticed Ignis and Luna. “How’s he doing?”

“He won’t sleep.” Ignis said as he noticed the bag in Gladiolus hands. “What’s that?”

“A few things I thought might help him a bit. Sit him up.” Gladiolus said as he made his way over to the bed and put the bag on the mattress. Luna helped Noctis sit up and the prince looked at the items that Gladiolus pulled out. A sketchbook, pencils - normal and colored - and a small book that had a cartoony chocobo on it. Ignis looked at the items and frowned.

“I don’t understand.”

“Noctis can’t tell us what he’s dreaming about. But that doesn’t mean he can’t try and show us.” Gladiolus said, “And even if he can’t this can help him relax a little, get his mind off of everything that has happened. Better than just lying in bed all day watching us or the tv.”

Gladiolus picked up the sketchbook held it out for Noctis. When the prince did not take it, he gently set it on his lap. Noctis stared at the book, then at the pencil that was placed on top of it. His mind dull from fatigue, he looked at the two objects a little while before lifting a hand and running his fingers along the pencil. He took it in his hand fumbling a little as the plastic object felt strange in his fingers. He found how to grip it after a few seconds then let his eyes fall on the sketchbook. He ran his left hand on the cover, noting the bumpy texture, then opened it.

It was blank. At first Noctis was not sure what he was supposed to do with a blank book, but the pieces fit together when he looked at pencil and put the tip to the paper. He moved the pencil drawing a line. Then a circle. Then a few more small shapes as though he were trying to sort out how to get everything to work. The first few times the shapes had odd proportions, but soon the lines became straighter and more smooth. If Ignis had to guess, Noctis was trying to re-familiarizing himself with his longtime hobby.

The world around him vanished as Noctis focused on making shapes before his eyes fell on the book. A simple book filled with cartoon like animals that were easy to draw. Noctis looked at the Chocobo on the cover and then the notebook. His hand started to move, eyes mostly on the paper, occasionally going back to the picture on the book cover. As he became more comfortable the movement became more natural.

Finally after a few short minutes he stopped and let the pencil rest in his hand. He blinked a few times as he took in the image, almost as though he could not grasp the fact he was the one who drew it. The lines were a little off and the feathers looked strange, but the drawing was a baby chocobo. He noticed another hand come into his view and looked up to see Luna smiling at him.

“Cute.” She said. Noctis looked at her a bit confused so she repeated herself. “The image, it’s cute.”

Noctis looked at her then the image as he heard the others tell him words he couldn’t quite make out, but somehow he knew they were all positive. He stared at the picture, slowly realizing he had something in front of him. A key. A key to getting his nightmares out of his head. Getting what happened to him out in the open before he ate him up inside. He blinked hand shaky as tears slid down his face. “Noct? What’s wrong?” He heard Luna ask him, but Noctis did not look up at her, he moved his hand a little further down the paper and continued drawing, paying no attention to the eyes that were on him.

Eyes, he started with eyes. Cold, haunting, green eyes he wished he could forget.


	11. The Slow Side of Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He looked more awake and alive than he had in what felt like a long time. His smile had life in it, as did his laugh. With recovery comes clarity, and with clarity comes awareness, and the realization something is not quite right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2016! Enjoy a chapter with a little hope in it.
> 
> End is in sight. Just a little more to go. This might also be the last chapter I have Noctis speech being so broken. It's getting really annoying to write and I acutally dialed it back during editing because it was awkward to read. Either way the usual, hope you enjoy, minor edits will be corrected after a few days (and when it's not 4AM...) etc etc etc. Enjoy!

****They had stripped him of his clothing and ran tests on him, pumped drugs and poison into his body just to see how the crystal would react, and threw him in a cell with nothing but the cold to keep him company. Ignis knew right away that the woman drawn breaking his arm was Aurora - in fact with how many times she appeared he could see she had been very rough on him. He did not know the name of the man who used Noctis for his experiments, but did note that every time Noctis drew him, he colored his eyes with a bright green colored pencil. That told Ignis a lot, it meant the eyes were striking, memorable, and that they were haunting him.

Red was also very prominent.

The images were crude and simple, lacking the extensive shadows Noctis liked to use in his sketches, but they told a story. A story that made Ignis feel angry as he looked at each drawing. His grip tightened on the sketchbook as he glanced up at Noctis, who looked quite shaken and pale, fingers twitching like he was in pain. He had been drawing like a madman for two hours, like he was afraid his thoughts and dreams would slip through his fingers before he could get them down. Ignis had tried to get him to stop when Noctis his hand locked up, but the young man just shook it off and went back to sketching even when his lines became less straight and connected.

He needed to get everything out. He needed to get it out before it ate him up inside...

“Is this helping?” He heard Luna ask. Noctis looked at her then down to see she was massaging his wrist, but did not answer, just continued watched her fingers move across his pale skin. A knock at the door got Ignis and Gladiolus’ attention and Prompto stepped in, looking like he had seen a ghost.

“Are you feeling better?” Ignis asked the blonde who shook his head.

“Not really.” Prompto said. “I can’t tell if I want to throw up or shoot that asshole in the head. I swear if I get my hands on him….I mean, what sick person does those things to someone?”

“A monster.” Ignis said. He closed the sketchbook and put it back down next to Noctis before taking the young prince’s hand. Noctis froze up a little at first, but then relaxed when he looked up and saw it was Ignis touching him and giving his hand a light squeeze. “Are you alright?”

“N-not….ssure…” Noctis said. Since he just drew out everything he had experienced and had been dreaming, it was at the forefront of his mind. He felt shaky and overwhelmed, but at the same time numb, like what life left in him had been sucked dry. Ignis watched Noctis face worried his young prince was going to have another panic attack, and carefully took the prince’s hand.

“You’re very strong Noct. Most would be consumed by madness having endured what you have. This will help you cope, even if it doesn't feel like it right now.” Ignis told him, and when Noctis did not react to his words continued. “I want to talk to you a bit more, ask you some questions if you feel up to it, but right now you need to rest. That means sleeping.”

Noctis eyes widened like those of a scared animal and he shook his head. “No! I d-don’t-”

“You’re scared. I know.” Ignis told him. Noctis continued to stare at him, not noticing that Gladiolus had moved a little closer and Prompto had climbed back on the bed. Luna had stopped rubbing his wrist and had wrapped her arm around his. “And after everything that has happened I can only imagine how terrifying your dreams are. But if you don’t sleep, you’re going to get worse. We’re worried about you. It’s difficult to see you like this.”

“He’s right Noct.” Prompto said getting Noctis to look at him. “We want to help you get better, we want you to get back to your old self.”

“We don’t want you to waste away.” Luna said and he looked up at her, his tired grey eyes staring into her blue ones before looking to Gladiolus who had put an arm around him.

“We can’t stop the nightmares, but we’ll be there for you. You’re not alone.” Gladiolus told him. Noctis let those words digest in his brain as he looked at each of them and then down at his hands. He was not alone. He had friends and a fiancé who loved him. They were always there for him. They would always be there for him. He let his eyes close for a few seconds almost like he had just realized how tired he actually was and then opened them again and nodded.

“Alright.”

He lied down on his own and nodded when Ignis told him that they would take turns watching over him. Luna was first, the young blonde crawling under the blankets with him and wrapping an arm around his thin body. Noctis took in her presence and warmth, finding it easy to fall asleep in her arms.

* * *

Noctis’ slept deeply and outside of waking him up for dinner, it was mostly undisturbed. It was not the most restful sleep, he whimpered on occasion, but he was not screaming from his nightmares and Ignis noticed it was easier to settle him back into a peaceful slumber.

The morning came with no incident, with the sun glistening on the water and bathing Noctis room in warmth. Ignis had made himself some coffee, and relieved Gladiolus of his watch to take in the sunrise, then begin preparing for the day. He had been looking up some information to help with speech therapy when Noctis groaned and started to move. Ignis checked the time , noted it was ten o’clock, and looked to Noctis as the prince rolled onto his side.

“Highness?” He asked and Noctis groaned again before slowly opening his eyes. Ignis looked him over and moved some of the young prince’s hair out of his face….then smiled when the prince looked up at him. Gone was the tired and sickly grey, Noctis eyes were as blue as the cloudless sky.

Ignis put his hand to Noctis’ forehead and was pleased to see his fever had passed. He ran his fingers through Noctis’ hair and the prince let out a small sigh and closed his eyes For a few seconds Ignis wondered if Noctis was going to sleep a little longer but the prince rolled onto his back and yawned before opening his eyes again. “Good morning highness.”

“...mmnn…” Noctis muttered blinking a few times before moving his eyes from the ceiling to Ignis. The royal advisor helped him sit up and Noctis stretched out his neck.

“Did you sleep well?” Ignis asked again. Noctis looked at him, the confused look on his face telling Ignis he needed to repeat the question. “Did you sleep well?” He repeated and while it took a few seconds longer than he would have liked he saw Noctis eyes light up and the prince nodded still half asleep. “Good. Now, let’s get you up. It’s time you started the day.”

Ignis motioned to the wheelchair and Noctis looked at it before giving another nod. Ignis helped him sit up, and then being as careful as he could helped Noctis stand. Noctis legs were shaky from lack of muscle and use and he felt the prince’s weight shift as his feet slipped out underneath him. Ignis kept Noctis close to him, staying calm as Noctis panicked and tightly gripped his shirt like he was scared he would fall. He waited until Noctis relaxed enough to move again. One slow step at a time. Ignis settled him in the wheelchair and moved him to the bathroom.

Ignis wanted to keep Noctis’ bath quick to help the prince keep some dignity, though he could not help but notice the young prince was more responsive to the soap and water as it ran down his skin. The young man looked at the shampoos resting on the bathtub then the sink where Luna’s sleeping pills were on the counter along with his anticonvulsants. Ignis watched Noctis’ face noting that he seemed far more aware of his surroundings than he had been for the past week and a half. He looked more alive.

Once Noctis was clean and dressed, Ignis moved him back to the bedroom, stopping when he saw the prince look out the window like he had been doing almost everyday. He winced at the sunlight entering the room. “Bright.” He muttered.

“Yes it is. The sun is brighter here than at home.” Ignis said.  “Do you know where you are Noctis?” He asked again and Noctis looked at him before looking back at the window and watched the sun. He then looked back at Ignis.

“Sol-heim.” He said, stuttering a little. Ignis gave him a smile and a nod. He moved Noctis back to the bed and helped him sit back down only looking up when he heard a knock on the door. Prompto stepped into the doorway with Luna and Gladiolus behind him.

“Hey, we heard movement from here.” He said grinning when he saw Noctis was awake. “Hey buddy.”

“Prom.” Noctis said finding it was easier to just call Prompto by his nickname than his full name. The blonde grinned and hopped on the bed next to him.

“Well look at that. You look more awake than I’ve seen you in days. You sleep well? I know I did. Best night I’ve had in weeks!” He said. He had a grin on his face that Noctis smiled back too turning that attention to Gladiolus and then Luna. His smile faded to a frown when he saw the dark circles under Luna’s eyes. Did she sleep last night?

“Noctis, do you remember how yesterday I wanted to talk to you?” Ignis spoke up, getting the young prince’s attention. He waited until Noctis looked at him and noticed the prince close in on himself a little as he glanced over to his sketchbook sitting on the nightstand.

“It’s...in there.” He muttered, which told Ignis more than enough. Noctis was not ready to talk about the man who had reduced him to a shell of his former self. That was fine, Noctis could talk when he was ready, though if he started to get worse again Ignis worried he would need to see a counselor to help him.

“I understand. I promise I won’t ask for details about your experience, I just need a frame for the picture .” He said and Noctis just look at him confused, not understanding the analogy. “You know we are in Solheim, but do you know why we are here?”

The question had Noctis frowning and trying to wrack his brain to find an answer, but found himself coming up empty. He looked up at the television in the room with a strange expression Ignis could not quite place, but that expression faded and Noctis shook his head. “Alright, what is the last thing you remember about Altissia?”

Again it took a few seconds for him to think, but this time Noctis had an answer. “T-the attack. On t-the castle.” He told him. “A-Auro-rora she…” Noctis stopped grunting in frustration. It was still to difficult to put his thoughts into words.

“It’s okay, we know. I was there. Her guards attacked me too.” Ignis said, “Sometime after your kidnapping, Niflheim attacked Altissia. We escaped using one of their dropships and fled to Solheim. You’ve been confined to bed or the medical wards for more than a week.”

Noctis looked at him letting that information sink in. Something about the explanation did not make sense, but he could not quite pin down what and trying to think about it made his head hurt. So he nodded to Ignis to let him know that he was understanding what was being told to him. He then lifted his hand to his head. “W-why-can’t-?”

“Why can’t you speak?” Ignis asked and Noctis nodded. “Do you remember when you had your MRI?”

Noctis was silent at first, then reached for his sketchbook and opened it to a blank page and started putting together some quick sketches. The other four watched as Noctis translated his thoughts into an image of a small dog, which confused Ignis, until he drew a box around it like a picture frame. “You remember the healers questions.” Ignis said and Noctis nodded before looking at Luna and taking her hand. He remembered being asked who Luna was, and how frightening it had been to find he couldn’t say her name.

“The healers did an MRI and found that parts of your brain that govern speech and language recognition were damaged. That’s why you’re having trouble speaking, and why sometimes you have trouble understanding us” Ignis told him, slowly to make sure Noctis was following along, then after some hesitation added, “...They aren’t sure what caused it.”

Luna, Prompto, and Gladiolus looked at Ignis and the bodyguard gave him a weary look that the advisor tried to ignore. Noctis did not notice being more preoccupied with trying to understand what Ignis was telling him. Finally he frowned and nodded.

“C-cure?” He asked.

“Time and therapy. The speech therapy I’ve been running you through has been helping, but when you get a little stronger the head healer wants you to see a proper therapist.” Ignis told him and again waited for Noctis to give some kind of response to let him know he understood what was being told. When the prince nodded Prompto shifted a little anxious to speak.

“Can I ask something?” The blonde asked even raising his hand up like he was still in school. Ignis looked at Noctis to let the prince decide and stayed silent as Noctis looked at his best friend and nodded. “Yesterday you called me ‘Filius’. Who’s that?”

Noctis frowned, finding he could not remember doing that at any point, but answered anyway. “F-fili-us w-was….a fr-friend.” He said. Prompto just looked at him confused.

“Gladio said he was in Niflheim. Is he someone important?” He asked and again Noctis nodded, but when he tried to explain his voice cracked and his fist clenched in frustration. Luna put a hand on his shoulder and answered in his place.

“Filius is the prince of Niflheim.” She said and Prompto’s eye widened in surprise by her answer.

“Wait, really?”

“Yes. Filius Aldercapt, the grandson of Idola Aldercapt. A bit of a black sheep in the current royal family.” Ignis added, “He’s is a kinder soul than his grandfather. Just as opportunistic, a family trait, much like stubbornness in the Caelum family,” Noctis understood that sentence well enough to give Ignis an annoyed look, which went ignored, “but he channels that into healthier activities than trying to start a worldwide war.”

“So he’s a pacifist?” Prompto asked and Luna found it hard to keep herself from laughing. Gladiolus had a large grin on his face.

“No one from Niflheim is a pacifist.” He said ruffling the blonde’s hair.

“He’s just a good person.” Luna told him, “Filius is the main reason Niflheim has not collapsed in on itself yet. Many of Niflheim’s people would prefer to have him as their king than Idola, but the country has a lot of complicated laws which prevent that, and a court that favors Idola anyway.” She then looked back at Noctis. “You saw Filius while you were in Niflheim?”

Noctis nodded trying to remember when he had. The memory had been buried underneath all the painful ones, but it was their and as Noctis remembered the older man’s face and worried voice he tightened his grip on his blankets. “H-he...tried...to help me.”

His answer was met with silence, as his friends looked at each other and Ignis stood up and went into the other room. After a few seconds he came back in, holding a familiar knife, the same knife the maids had found on Noctis’ clothes last week.

“Noctis.” He said getting the young man’s attention. Careful he presented the knife to Noctis. “Does this look familiar to you?”

Noctis stared at the knife in question, then lifted his hand up and carefully took it from Ignis. The dark haired prince looked it over, feeling it’s weight and running his fingers over the sheath’s intricate design. He stopped at the hilt and looked at the name carved on it. Dominus Aldercapt.

“Th-this is….Filius’ knife.” Noctis said not taking his eyes off it. He remembered this knife, Filius had shown it to him when he was still in highschool. It had been a gift from Idola for the Niflheim Prince’s twentieth birthday. He had told Noctis that it was like the ring that Noctis’ father always wore, an heirloom of the royal family.

“Do you know when he gave it to you’?” Ignis asked getting Noctis attention, but the prince shook his head.

“No. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Ignis said. Noctis was silent and tightened his grip on the sheath. Something was not right, but his head was still too fuzzy to make much sense of what that something was.

* * *

“Don’t know why, huh.”

Ignis sighed and rubbed his temples as he and Gladiolus stood in the hall. Noctis felt a bit worn out after their conversation and wanted to rest for a little while. Luna and Prompto stayed in the room to keep him company and Ignis saw Prompto going through one of the bags for some playing cards before leaving the room. The bodyguard had told Ignis he wanted to have a word with him, and the royal advisor knew why. “I had a feeling you would not approve.”

“Iggy, we know why he is how he is. It’s because of that crown.” Gladiolus told him, “He needs to know-”

“That his brain being messed up is caused by a tool Niflheim used to make him destroy Altissia? To make him try and kill us?” Ignis asked, cutting Gladiolus off before he could make his argument. “Do you have any idea how he could react if he found out? He might not be able to process it, he could shut down, become catatonic. You saw the color of his face and eyes; he looks better than he has in days, he’s coming back to us, and I’m not about to risk that.”

“Alright, alright, I see where you’re coming from.” Gladiolus said speaking up when Ignis raised his voice, “But Noct isn’t stupid, he’s going to start to realize things aren’t adding up and is going to be looking to us for answers.”

“I know.” Ignis said. “And we’ll have to do something when that happens.”

“Like what? Don’t tell me you think we should lie to him.” Ignis winced at Gladiolus’ statement, he had actually been considering that, and Gladiolus sighed and shook his head at Ignis’ lack of a reaction. “Iggy, you know if we do that it will just cause more problems.”

“You're right, I know.” Ignis said. Gladiolus was right, but after everything that happened the only thing he wanted was to protect Noctis. He could probably think of something, but he felt sick as he tried to spin a tale in his head. And Gladiolus telling him that it was a bad idea was not helping him.

* * *

 

The news had reached Filius first, and then he went down to the labs to tell Cyrus. He had planned to go back to his work after, but the moment the young scientist heard the news he had sprung to his feet and rushed out the door, dragging him along to the nearby hospital. Filius could not blame the young man for dropping everything and rushing off, they had heard nothing from Aurora or Litus for a week. Now the first group of soldiers were returning from Altissia.

Despite Aurora leaving while they were on a bitter note, Filius had hoped she would be safe. However when they got to the hospital and saw Litus waiting out her door, large bandages over his eye, and a sorrowful look on his face, he knew to expect the worst. Cyrus took a little longer to catch on.

“I want to see her.” He said, “Why can’t I see her?”

“There’s nothing to see kid.” Litus told him getting a cold glare from the green eyed young man who then reached for the door and forced himself into the room. Filius looked in through the large window, Aurora was laying in the hospital bed, an oxygen mask over her mouth, bandages on her abdomen. Unconscious she looked the most vulnerable she had ever seemed in all the years Filius had known her. “Honestly I keep hearing we’ll be lucky if she wakes up.” Litus said getting the young prince’s attention.

“What happened?”

“Stabbed in the stomach, then crushed when the castle collapsed.” Litus said, “She should have kept the royal brat with her, no way princess to be would have been able to fight back with him around.”

“Noctis wasn’t with her?” He asked.

“She told me she sent him to take care of some annoyances. Course everything annoys Aurora so Etro knows what that could mean.” Litus said. “I don’t know what the kid their did to make Noctis follow us, but it worked. Altissia’s at our mercy thanks to him and Leviathan, now to just hear what to do next.” Litus watched Filius’ face waiting for the prince to respond. Something was on the blonde’s mind, but he was refusing to say it out loud. “If you’re wondering about the Lucis prince, we can’t find him. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s dead by now.”

Filius scowled at Litus’ casual statement, before sighing, knowing the man was probably right. If they had not found Noctis by now he was probably dead. The number of infections riddling his body, along with starvation and exposure, would have finally pushed his heart and body to it’s limit. Lucis’ legacy was over. His childhood friend was dead.

Filius continued to look in the room, eyes on Cyrus as he spoke to the healers, before looking back at Aurora. He shook his head then excused himself to his office to look at the incoming reports.

Most of the paperwork focused on injured soldiers, and trying to round up civilians. There was a casualty count as well as a request for food and medical supplies. Filius already knew the moment that came up in any conversation that it would be denied due to ‘lack of resources’. Anything that did not go to weapons or trying to control Lucis’ crystal seemed to be secondary for funds. His grandfather was killing the country whether he realized it or not.

The reports said nothing about Noctis and only a little bit about Leviathan. The lake was being searched for the Archaean as of the reports writing, but the beast appeared to have gone into hiding.

He was finishing the end of the report when he heard a knock on his office door. He opened it to see Cyrus standing in the hallway. The young researcher looked miserable. “Come in. Take a seat.” He said. Cyrus nodded and stepped in taking a seat at one of the chairs near Filius’ desk. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Cyrus said, “The healers are positive she’s not going to pull through.”

Filius was silent as he poured Cyrus something to drink and placed it on the desk next to him. “I’m sorry Cyrus.”

“It’s not fair.” Cyrus said voice straining as he took the cup. “She shouldn’t have gone. She should have stayed here in Niflheim.”

“Aurora wanted to go.” Filius said, “She did not get the chance to see Lucis’ collapse, so she wanted to make sure she saw Altissia crumble. She started things and wanted to see it through to the end.”

Cyrus just frowned at being reminded that it was his sister who had been in Altissia for weeks helping infiltrate the castle before kidnapping Noctis. To think the one location where she snatched Niflheim one of it’s greatest victories would also be where she was almost killed. He did not like to think about that. His sister was stronger than that. Filius watched the young man’s face and hten carefully spoke again. “She knew the possible consequences.”

“I don’t care.” Cyrus said as he clenched his fist tightly, “I should have put some kind of order in the slave crown. Make sure Noctis could not leave her for too long. It should be the Tenebrae girl that’s lying comatose in a hospital bed, not my sister!”

Filius said nothing, but was trying hard not to voice his disgust that Cyrus even agreed with Idola to develop the crown. He took a sip of his drink shuddering at the bitter taste. “Well perhaps you can take some solace in the face he’s dead.” He said voice quiet.

“He’s not dead.”

The news made Filius almost drop his cup on the papers. He managed to compose himself long enough to put the cup down. “What do you mean?”

“The crystal is still glowing like a light bulb. It’s readings are higher than the average, and they only spike when he’s drawing magic, or it’s trying to keep him alive.” Filius stared at Cyrus as he took in this information. By some miracle, Noctis was still alive. However Cyrus did not give him time to fully digest that realization.“We need to find out where he is. I want him dragged back into the country.”

“Why?”

“Why else. He’s not done serving Niflheim.” Cyrus said and Filius listened to the man’s angry tone and chose to remain silent.

* * *

 

“Etro I’m bored.”  Prompto said as he shuffled the stack of Uno cards in front of him. Noctis was quiet doodling in his sketchbook not paying attention to the world around him before turning his attention to the window. The afternoon was sunny, not even a cloud in the sky.

“Me too.” Luna said running her fingers through her thick blonde hair before looking at Noctis. “What are you working on?” She asked and Noctis turned to her before lifting the sketchbook up so she could get a better look. “Oh nice.”

“What is that?” Prompto asked looking it over. “No offense Noct, but not your best work.”

Noctis frowned, for some reason he felt insulted by Prompto’s blunt honest. Granted it was true - working the pencil with his left hand was an exercise in patience that left his lines wobbly - but his best friend did not have to be _that_ honest. Luna took a closer look.

“You’re drawing a snake?” She asked.

“S-sea ser...pent.”

“A sea serpent.” Luna repeated watching as Noctis went back to his work. The serpent looked familiar, like the images that lined Altissia’s walls. “I see now. It looks like Leviathan.”

Leviathan. Noctis’ eyes narrowed as he looked at the drawing and he could see where Luna got the idea. The long majestic design that gave it a feeling of presence and power. Maybe it was the way he drew the eyes. Piercing eyes that as he stared at him made him tense up and drop his pencil on the bed sheets. He shook his head. He needed a break from drawing, just like Prompto looked like he needed a break from playing Uno.

“Man I like hanging out in here as much as you guys but if I have to stay in this room any longer I’m going to lose my mind.” Prompto said as he flopped onto his back and stared out the window. “It’s so beautiful today. We should go outside. I mean we don’t have to go into town, we could just sit by the pool and take in the sun.”

Luna considered the idea then turned to Noctis, who let a small smile cross his face before letting it drop and shaking his head. “What’s wrong?” She asked and Noctis moved his hand around his face as though trying to hide it. Like he was embarrassed by his appearance. “Oh don’t be like that. You look fine.”

“L-ook like...s-s-skele….a g-ghoul.”

Luna pouted at the statement. “Now that’s not true. You still have your nose.” Luna said tapping her finger lightly against his nose, a gesture that made Noctis go cross-eyed for a second before giving her an awkward smile, his cheeks turning a light pink. She gave him a light kiss...and Prompto let out a loud cough to remind the young couple he was still in the room.

“So we heading out or not? I mean I know I will, but do you guys want to come too?”

A good question and even as Prompto asked it, they weren't sure if Noctis was okay to leave the room or not, but the prince kept looking up at the window. It was sunny, the idea of going outside sounded good, and as he became more aware of exactly how long he had been cooped up in the suite, he started to feel stir crazy. So without hesitating he pushed the blankets off himself and started to try and move himself so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Luna and Prompto were surprised at first, but smiled and climbed off to help him.

They decided to go to the palace’s outdoor pool. Prompto wrapped Noctis’ arm around his shoulder and his own around the prince’s thin waist being careful as possible as he helped Noctis to his feet. Luna moved the wheelchair closer and helped Prompto sit the dark haired man in it’s seat. “To think soon you’ll be ready to walk.” Luna said getting Noctis’ attention. “Ignis was talking to the healers, they said you were ready for physical therapy. You won’t need this thing soon.”

“Good.” Noctis said.

“You might be on crutches for a little while, but it’s a step up.” Prompto said walking behind the chair and grabbing the handles. He made sure the chair was not locked in place and pushed, more than he intended and the sudden jerking made Noctis jump and then glare at him. “Sorry.” Was the blonde’s sheepish response as he muttered something about how Ignis made moving it look easy and tried again. After a rough start Prompto managed to push it in a way that did not make Noctis want to glare at him and started for the door.

Luna opened the door, but as Prompto pushed him closer Noctis noticeably stiffened and tightened his grip on the handles making him stop. “What’s wrong?” He heard ask and Noctis shook his head. He felt strange. Anxious was a better word, almost like he was scared to leave the room. He was not sure why at first, but then he realized after being confined in a prison cell for weeks, the warm suite was like a safe place for him. And while he had liked the idea of going outside he felt scared to leave that safety net. “Noct, you okay?”

Noctis shook his head feeling his stomach twist up. Luna moved a little closer kneeling down next to him and putting her hand on his to help him relax. “It’s okay. You have Prompto and me here with you.”

Noctis took in her words and nodded. He already knew that was true, but being reminded helped him keep his head together. Luna stood back up and moved back a bit so Prompto could move the chair again, gently as possible closer to the hallway. Noctis felt his body tense up as they left the room, but relaxed as they entered the hall. The hallway was warm and well lit, not cold and damp and he looked at the pictures on the wall until they stopped at the elevator. They stepped inside, Noctis listening as Prompto and Luna talked to each other and to him.

When the elevator reached it’s destination and opened Prompto moved Noctis out into the lobby and to the courtyard’s entrance. Luna pulled the door open so they could go outside. Noctis winced at the sun, but relaxed as the scent of sea salt caught his nose. The air was fresh and smelled like the ocean, and it tickled his nose.

“Bright.” He said and his eyes fell to the pool and a small peaceful smile formed on his face as he watched the sun sparkled off the water. “Pretty.”

“Solheim’s always beautiful during the summer.” Prompto said. “We still need to make plans to go to the beach.”

“A beach day will happen when it happens. We still have an entire season left.” Luna said. Noctis nodded though he was only half listening. He had not even realized it was summer. Prompto loved going to the beach during the summer, Insomnia had one artificial beach that he insisted on going to almost every weekend when they were still in highschool. The trips were fun if exhausting.

Prompto tapped him on the head to get his attention. “So you want us to set you by the chairs or near the pool?” He asked.

Noctis considered his options and decided dipping his feet in the pool water sounded like a good idea. Prompto wheeled him to the shallow end of the pool where there were steps and watched as Noctis rolled up his pants sleeves before he and Luna helped him out of the wheelchair. Getting him settled to sit at the edge of the pool was more challenging than laying him in bed, his legs did not seem to want to move right and Luna found herself nervous they’d slip and Noctis would fall and hurt himself.

But when the first foot was on the step the second came easier. The water tickled Noctis feet and Luna noticed that he grinned and laughed a little as he felt the water against his skin. Once he was steady they helped him sit down. “There we go.” She said, Noctis looked at the water, and moved his legs so they were a step lower. The water felt cool on his skin, not a kind of cool that he would want to avoid, but one that was welcoming with the warm sun.

Luna kicked off her shoes and took a seat next to him. Prompto followed suit, kicking off his boots and rolling up his jeans so he could dip his legs in the water. “Feels good?” He asked. Noctis nodded a content look on his face as he watched the water.

“Yeah.” He said moving his legs through it. It felt very nice, a refreshing change. “Th-thank you. Good i-i-dea.”

“Of course, I come up with the best ideas.” Prompto said a grin on his face as the wind picked up and began playing with his hair. “This is great. No healers, no politics to worry about, just the three of us hanging out like back in Lucis. All we need is Iggy and Gladio and it’ll be sort of like old times.”

“Good...memories.”

“When you start feeling better Noct and the healers okay it, we need to go and take the town. There’s some really nice clubs around here and I found this awesome comic shop a few days ago. We should definitely go out, just the guys. If you don’t mind Luna.”

“Why would I? You guys need to have a chance to hang out by yourselves and I need a day I can just lie in bed and do nothing for a few hours.” Luna said with a small shrug. “Don’t think Ignis will let you take Noct to a club though.”

“Who says he has to know?” Prompto said a grin on his face as Noctis frowned. He could already tell something was going through Prompto’s head.

“No...clubs.” He said his blonde friend. Going out to a club was the last thing on his mind. Prompto sighed disappointed, but shrugged.

“Alright well, there’s other things we can do. There’s still the comic shop, the restaurants, the mall. The beach. Did I already say the beach? Because I’m saying it again.” Noctis gave his friend a small smile and Prompto sighed. “Man it feels strange talking about doing things like this. When is the last time we’ve had a chance to relax? Not since the invasion began. I mean, yeah, we had a little downtime in Lestallum and Altissia, but not much.”

Noctis nodded but his face dropped. Altissia being mentioned made him feel uncomfortable for some reason, but he looked back up as Prompto continued speaking. “We should try and have a little fun before things get serious again. Take in the surf, get some seafood. See the end of the fireworks. They set off fireworks at the end of the summer right?”

Luna nodded, “Yup, it’s really a sight to watch. They really go all out here. Different from Lucis, or at least different from Insomnia.”

“Too crowded.” Noctis muttered. Insomnia had strict laws about fireworks. They were only launched on New Years and had to be controlled to avoid accidents.

“Well that settles it. We need to go down there at least once this summer.” Prompto told them. It was a final decision, not one either of them could veto and Noctis nodded in agreement. He took Luna’s hand listening as Prompto listed off everything he wanted to do, only to stop short as his cell phone beeped loudly. He took it out of his pocket and noticed it was Gladiolus calling him. “What’s up Gladio?” He paused then his face turned pale and he gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah he’s fine, he’s with us. We’re outside.” He paused and Noctis and Luna stared at their friend as they heard yelling on the other end of the phone. Prompto’s eyes widened and then he gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah. I can hear him…. Y-you can tell Iggy he can stop freaking out now.”

Noctis and Luna stared at him before the former sighed and shook his head while Luna covered her mouth trying not to laugh.

* * *

“I wasn’t ‘freaking out’ as you put it.”

“You were totally freaking out Iggy.” Gladiolus said. “Your face was bright red and you had that look in your eye that makes everyone think you’re about to murder someone.”

“Considering it was about Noct, he probably would have murdered someone. I feel sorry for the maids you yelled at.” Prompto said laughing a little.

Ignis grumbled, his ears turning red as he buried himself in his phone. The other two had joined them outside, and Ignis had sat himself at a table near the pool. Prompto and Gladiolus were swimming, the larger man had picked up the young blonde and thrown him into the water. Noctis watched longing to join the two, dismayed he was not strong enough to try swimming yet.

“Really you three should have left a note or something.” Ignis said getting the prince as well as Luna’s attention. “It would have only taken a few seconds.”

“Sorry. We forgot.” Luna said a grin on her face and Ignis sighed. He wanted to be more annoyed but those attempts fell flat when he saw Noctis smiling, his eyes glowing with a life he had missed seeing in them. Even in Altissia Noctis looked pretty miserable from the early morning meetings and constant movement. So he decided he would let the error in judgement subside for the time being.

Next time however _he_ would be the one throwing Prompto into the pool. And he had no qualms about tossing Luna in either.

“You should probably save your worry for when Noctis starts walking around.” Gladiolus said and Ignis looked at him confused.

“...I’m perfectly fine with Noctis walking again.” Ignis said. It was the stuff after that worried him. Once he was back on his feet Noctis would be training with Gladiolus again, which ran the risk of broken bones. Prompto would want to take him out on late night excursions, which meant possible alcohol poisoning or getting arrested - though it was more likely Prompto would be the one getting arrested.

Then he expected Noctis to start arguing with him to get his room moved so he and Luna could have more ‘privacy’. Ignis already knew the headaches that followed from those arguments would have him popping more aspirin than was healthy. But despite his grievances, those events would be a good thing. Noctis was getting better and in turn acting more like his own self. It would only be natural that his stubbornness would return and he’d want more independence.

Ignis looked up from the book he was reading to see Prompto splash the prince and his fiance, laughing as the two glared at him and stopping when Luna got up and jumped after him. Right into the pool, minidress and all. Noctis laughed a little as Gladiolus tried to separate the two. Ignis decided at that moment to join the prince at the edge of the pool and kicked his shoes off before sitting down next to him. Noctis was still smiling, a bit surprised but pleased to have his advisors company.

“This is nice.” Ignis said noting that the sun seemed to be warmer when they were near the pool. Noctis nodded in agreement.

“Y-yeah.” Noctis said closing his eyes as he looked upward. “Sun feels good.”

Ignis nodded in agreement as he looked Noctis’ thin frame over before frowning as he noticed the skin on his arm had taken on a pinkish color. He moved his hand to Noctis short sleeved shirt and pulled it up noting the color change was only where the skin was exposed. Noctis looked at him confused, then frowned as Ignis also checked his neck and noted the same coloring.

“Well I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, but it looks like you’ve neglected sunscreen.” He said pointing out the pinkish color on Noctis’ arm.  Noctis looked down and grunted, some things never changed. “Just a mild sunburn thankfully, but perhaps we should get you in the shade before you turn into a lobster.”

Ignis helped Noctis back up and moved him over to the lounge chairs. Noctis was able to lie down on his own moving his hand up to his head as he gazed at the sky. He sighed a content sigh and closed his eyes, feeling a little sleepy under the warm sunlight and Ignis playing with his hair only helped him lull into a sound sleep.

_He felt water on his finger tips and opened his eyes._

_He was in the middle of a city reduced to ashes. Buildings blown apart by bombs and screaming in the distance. He found himself in a daze as he moved his hand across the shallow puddle and rolled onto his side. The water felt cool on his skin and he rolled over, closing his eyes not having the strength to move. It was a loud frightening roar in the distance that made his eyes snap open and pull himself off the ground. He got to his feet feeling shaky from lack of strength and looked around._

_Water dripped from the buildings and mixed with blood on the ground from bodies collapsed against debris. Noctis looked at those buildings a feeling of dread as he heard another loud roar. He turned around in time to see water explode through the ground and a large beast rise from the ground. Noctis’ eyes widened as he saw the water receded letting him gaze upon the majestic creature as it’s eyes met his._

_Those piecing glowing eyes that filled him with fear and and dread. “L-leviathan…” The name of the beast stuttered on his lips and he took a step back slipping and falling into an ocean of water. He reached out for the surface desperate for air as he felt like he was being pulled down. Tendrils wrapping around his arms and legs as he struggled to get free, to swim to the surface._

_His lungs were burning. He was losing air. He couldn’t breath!_

Noctis let out a gasp as his eyes snapped open. He moved strangely as he felt a hand on his shoulder and was slow to realize that he had fallen out of the lounge chair and onto the ground. “Easy there.” Ignis said and Noctis looked up at him before groaning and rolling onto his back. Ignis helped him sit up and Noctis looked back at him and then the pool to see Luna climbing out, water dripping from her mini dress. “Are you alright Noctis?” Ignis asked him and Noctis looked at him again before frowning and looking away.

“Not sure.” He said. Something was not right. He had dreams about death before, but this particular one felt different. It felt to vivid and personal. And Leviathan was in it. Why would he be dreaming about Leviathan?

Noctis looked up at Luna as she knelt down next to him, before looking at Ignis and then at the sky. Something was not right. Something was missing. He just didn’t know what.


	12. The Truth in the Dreams - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis continues to improve, which leads to him seeking the truth about what happened in Altissia. The question is can he handle it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First half of a chapter that got so long I needed to split it in two. First half now, second half after I sleep. Errors missed will be corrected later.

The physical therapist's instructions were clear; slow and steady, one foot in front of the other, and for Noctis to not push himself to hard. If he became tired, it was recommended he take a break so he did not hurt himself.

Ignis had tried to take those instructions to heart. Tried being the key word because Noctis had other ideas. The young prince had grown frustrated with his lack of mobility and wanted to be able to walk without any kind of assistance as soon as possible. Ignis watched, a little concerned, as Noctis walked slowly, hands on the rails as he put one foot in front of the other, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. His chest rose and fell in rapid succession. They had been going on for far longer than the therapist had advised, but Noctis had refused to stop for a break. Gladiolus kept in front of him, ready to catch the dark haired prince when his legs inevitably gave out on him.

And they did. Noctis took another step, his legs locked up, and he cried out as he slipped. Gladiolus caught him, holding Noctis steady, and letting the prince put as much weight on him as he needed to until he could catch his breath. However, even with the stumble, Noctis only let himself rest for a few seconds before trying to pull himself back onto his feet. Ignis shook his head in disbelief even if he was impressed by his charge’s determination.

“Noctis that’s enough.” Ignis said taking a few steps closer. “We’ve done more than enough for the day.”

“I-I’m fine.” Noctis told him. Ignis shook his head, Noctis arms and legs were shaking violently.

“You’re shaking and I doubt you’ll be able to stay standing without Gladiolus’ support.” Ignis said.

“I said I’m...” Noctis started then trailed off as he took another step and slipped again. Again Gladiolus caught him. Ignis sighed as he watched.

“You’re not doing a very good job convincing me you’re fine.” Ignis said. He was not surprised when Noctis glared at him, but to his relief the young man did not try walking again.

He did not have the strength in him to even try standing on his own. Noctis could feel his heart pounding in his chest, like a bomb about to explode, and he could feel fatigue beginning to set in. It took him longer to catch his breath and he felt dizzy as he leaned against his body guard, who kept an arm around him to keep him steady. Ignis could see his face was bright red, and he noticed Noctis hand ball into a fist in frustration.

Seeing Noctis frustrated with his limitations was becoming a daily occurrence as the young prince spent more time awake and engaged with them. Along with the physical therapy, Noctis was seeing a speech therapist, and the results were noticeable. Language was easier, and in turn he was talking with them more, but there were still obstacles. It still took Noctis longer than normal to process what they told him, and he had trouble following a long, continuous conversation. Many of Prompto’s jokes that would normally make him laugh went over his head. The worst was that Noctis knew those jokes _should_ have been funny to him, but he just did not get them, and knowing this upset him.

For all the progress Noctis made it felt like a part of him had been lost. For as better as Noctis got he still had bad days, bad dreams, and panic attacks that sometimes left him to shaky to talk or to scared to think of leaving the safety of the palace suite. These events were becoming more manageable, but it was clear for how much better Noctis had gotten over the days and weeks, he was never going to be how he was before Niflheim kidnapped and tortured him. ‘Back to normal’ was a fleeting dream they entertained when the reality was ‘normal’ was never a possibility for Noctis.

Ignis shook the thoughts from his head and spoke up, “Perhaps now would be a good time to break for lunch.” Ignis said. “You’re physical is in an hour Noctis, we should get something to eat.”

Noctis did not answer at first, he was still breathing to hard to get a sentence out, but nodded in agreement. Once his breathing became more even he let Gladiolus help him back into the wheelchair. He winced as he took his seat, he could feel his legs burning and he already knew tomorrow his muscles would be painful and sore.

Today they would be eating at the hospital. The healers had determined that Noctis had recovered enough that he no longer needed round the clock care, so any appointments he had were at the nearby hospital. Noctis had been relieved at the news of their being less healers around, but hated the thought of visiting the hospital multiple times a week. He hated hospitals, and the stares he got from patience and medical staff because he was so thin were not making his dislike lessen. At the moment the only thing he disliked more than hospitals and healers was the wheelchair he needed to get around.

He was pretty sure that would change soon.

Getting to the cafeteria was simple enough and Ignis got their food. The healer’s had Noctis on a special diet to help him gain weight, but when Ignis gave him his meal, Noctis found he had little appetite. He took a small bite of his lunch and found it had little taste, but he was sure it was not the food that was causing his lack of appetite. He just did not feel hungry. It was the opposite of the other day, where he was experiencing a constant hunger and Ignis had to watch him to make sure he didn’t overeat. His body just did not seem to understand how to handle food. The healers and his friends were trying to help him get on a consistent meal schedule, but it did not seem to be helping.

“This is disgusting.” Gladiolus said as he poked at a steak that was too small, had too little sauces, and he was pretty sure may not have been actual meat. “I need a real steak, can’t we go somewhere else?”

“Hospital for today. We won’t have time to grab lunch down the road and make it to Noctis’ appointment.” Ignis said.

“Anything after?” Noctis asked. His voice was low and heavy. The fatigue from his physical therapy was finally catching up with him and he was ready for a long nap.

“After your check up we’ll return to the palace.” Ignis told him. “You need to pace yourself better. I understand you want to get back on your feet, but you shouldn’t over exert yourself.”

“I’ll be fine. And I’m t-tired of this wheelchair.” Was Noctis’ response as Ignis rubbed his temples trying to keep calm despite Noctis’ increasing stubbornness. The advisor was about to say something when Gladiolus let out a loud gag, dropping the fork on the plate, and pushing the poor excuse of a steak away from himself.

“Well I know I won’t be fine if I have to eat that. Sorry Noct, I hope you don’t mind me skipping out and getting some real food.”

“It’s fine. Let me know how it is, gotta be better than what I'm having.” Noctis muttered taking another small bite of his meal. Gladiolus gave him a sympathetic look before rubbing his hair. Noctis grunted at the touch, but a faint smile crossed his face as Gladiolus got up and left. The prince then sighed as he began playing with the greens on his plate wondering if maybe he played with them long enough they would start to vanish. No such luck and he let his fork drop in defeat.

“Not hungry?” Ignis asked which got Noctis to glance at him for a few seconds before looking back at his meal.

“Not really.” Was the dark haired prince’s answer. His body was calling for sleep more than food. At least it still seemed to understand what being tired was. Tired from his therapy sessions, and tired from the crystal. Now that he was feeling better he remembered that strange tugging always at the edge of his mind was his connection to the crystal. He could feel the cool healing magic it flowed through his body - less now than before - and that magic just wore him down. Being tired made him lose his appetite.

It was like life itself was trying to kill him. Ignis watched as Noctis stared at his meal with tired eyes and could tell the young prince was miserable.

“I think tomorrow we’ll take a break from your therapy. You look like you could use a day away from here.” He said hoping to put a smile back on Noctis’ face. Despite the news Noctis just continued to stare at his meal, nibbling on it little by little. The older of the two hoped Noctis mood was only aggravated by their location and that once they got back to palace and were with Prompto and Luna his mood would lift up.

Lunch ended in silence and Ignis took him to his appointment. It was expected to be a short checkup. X-rays would be taken of Noctis right arm to make sure the bone was healing properly - there were concerns his struggle with malnutrition would cause it to not heal right. Standard medical information would be taken down, his weight checked to make sure he was gaining weight properly, and of course answering questions. Noctis hated the answering questions part.

“When you move your right arm do you feel any pain?”

“No.” Noctis said watching as the healer wrote something down.

“And you’ve had no seizures since you were put on your anticonvulsant?”

“None.”

“Any other side effects besides fatigue?”

“No. Can I go now?” Noctis said making is annoyance even more obvious. The healer looked to Ignis.

“Is he always this irritable?”

“Only when in the hospital.” Ignis answered and the healing checked off a few more things before looking at the x ray set up on the wall.

“Well so far your recovery has been steady and it appears your speech therapy has been paying off.” The healer said. Noctis grunted, the frown never leaving his face. “You’re arm is healing slower than we expected. I suppose it was inevitable considering the state you were in when you arrived.”

“How much longer?” Ignis asked as Noctis' attention shifted to his cast.

“It’s hard to say. There are several factors in place, needing to re-break his arm because it was partly healed but not in place, and the malnutrition are just a few of them. We are hopeful it’ll be healed by the end of the summer, but we will see.” He said. Noctis sighed at the news and looked down at his cast. There were a bunch of doodles on it. His friends and fiance had gotten bored one time while he was napping and drew funny pictures all over it. It had made him smile, but the idea of having it on him for longer was not something he was looking forward too. The cast was itchy and made his arm feel heavy. Even worse it was his sword arm, he could not go back to training until he was out of it.

“We have also noticed that your not gaining weight as expected. You’re below our target numbers.” The healer said. Ignis nodded and continued to speak to the healer. He had expected that, the royal advisor had tried to explain to Solheim's healers before because of some outside factors -mainly the crystal - that Noctis had trouble at times keeping a healthy weight, and that it was likely he would gain weight slower than they wanted. The healer’s had either not understood or had chosen to ignore his statements. Noctis would not be surprised if it was the latter; talking to healer’s was the equivalent of talking to a wall.

At least his physical therapist was nice enough. Noctis had seen her trying to flirt with Ignis the other day. His advisor had been red faced and very uncomfortable.

The healer finished their appointment with instructions Noctis had heard time and again, keep him on his nutritional supplements and his diet and make sure he got plenty of water and rest. No caffeine either, Noctis hated that rule since it meant it was harder for him to wake up and stay awake than it was before. He missed coffee, really missed coffee. He was a little surprised he was not having withdrawal symptoms yet from lack of caffeine. Or maybe he did have them and just did not remember it.

Ignis thanked the healer for his time before leaving and going to the elevator. The advisor called the elevator for them, while Noctis let out a frustrated grumble and slouched in the chair.

“I hate this.”

“I know.” Ignis said and that was the only thing he really could say. “But this won’t be forever, you understand that right?”

“It feels like forever. I’m tired of t-this damn wh-whelllchchair.” Noctis grunted in frustration as his voice locked up, and he struggled to say what he was thinking. Ignis had to remind himself that Noctis stuttering was just because he was tired. Talking became more difficult when Noctis was tired.

The two reached the lobby to find Gladiolus waiting for them. “Hey, done already?” He asked then after getting a confirming nod from Ignis looked at Noctis. “Found us another place to check out when you get the okay. I already had Prompto add it to the list.”

“Sounds good.” Noctis said, a small smile forming on his face.

“You two are getting quite a long list.” Ignis pointed out, “Might want to pick and choose your favorites.”

“Ouch Iggy, that’s like telling Prompto to choose his favorite movie. The favorites list will be just as long as the regular one.” Gladiolus said and Noctis chuckled a little. It was nice to know that his friends were thinking of him.

The drive back to the palace was slow because of traffic. Noctis stared out the window, watching the people go by, his eyes becoming heavy. Gladiolus tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, and motioned for the young man to move closer. Noctis did so, resting his head on his brother figures shoulder and letting his eyes close as he fell into a restless sleep. He was woken up from dreams of destroyed buildings and blood soaked water when they got back to the palace.

They reached the suites and Ignis knocked on the door for Noctis and Luna's room before opening it. Prompto was sitting on the bed looking at his phone, Luna was lying down, hand massaging her temples, trying to soothe a headache forming from lack of sleep. When the door opened Prompto looked up, as did the young woman. “Hey! Welcome back!” Prompto greeted them with a grin. “So how’d it go?”

“Good news, Noctis is mobile.” Gladiolus said. “Well sort of.”

“He’s getting there, just needs to build up strength.” Ignis said as Noctis moved himself over to the bed and slowly climbed into it. “Everything came back fine, the scans they did of his brain show it’s recovering and the healers think he’s progressing well. He’s not gaining weight like they hoped, but there’s not much we can do about that.”

“Yeah, not much you can do when magic is involved.” Prompto said, then decided the medical information was no longer interesting and turned his attention to Noctis. “So you want to do anything now that your back? Watch a movie? Maybe play something?”

While Noctis appreciated Prompto trying to keep him entertained the prince shook his head and yawned. “Tired. Need a nap.”

“A nap sounds like a good idea right now…” The four young men looked over at Luna when she spoke. She had been quiet just watching them. Noctis watched her face, noting the dark circles under her eyes, which looked to be bloodshot from the angle he was looking at.

“You want to join?” He asked and Luna sighed.

“If I can get to sleep…” The young woman muttered as Ignis and Gladiolus exchanged looks. “Nothing is working...I think I must have tried ever sleeping medicine that the doctors can safely offer me. I don't know what else to do.”

“Perhaps it’s not the medication that’s the problem.” Ignis said having been thinking Luna’s insomnia over for a couple of days now. “Between Noctis’ medical complications and our meetings with Solheim’s King and Queen, there’s been little time to relax. We’re just now feeling more settled in, but even then you’ve been constantly working. Whether caring for Noctis or working with Solheim's politicians, you haven't stopped. I think it's starting to get to you.”

“So you mean...”

“You’re stressing yourself out and need to relax.”

Hearing that Luna let out a groan though it came out more as a whine. Relaxing was not Luna’s strong point. “I’m screwed. I’m seriously screwed.” She muttered as Noctis laid down on the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“You’ll be okay.”

“I don’t feel okay. I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

“A clear sign you’re overworking yourself again.” Ignis said, “We’re taking tomorrow off, I’ve already cancelled all of Noctis’ appointments, you should also take the day to rest and relax. If something has to be done tomorrow, I’ll take care of it, but you are to take it easy.”

“But-”

“Luna.” Noctis spoke up getting the blonde’s attention as he hugged her frame, “You’re tense.”

If it had been one of the others saying it Luna probably would have been a bit more snippy, but it was Noctis saying it, and that made her become quiet. She rolled onto her side and curled up against him, making a small noise that sounded like a whine. Her mind felt like it was splitting apart, and the memory of Noctis being so confused and scared a few weeks ago was still fresh in her mind. She had been worried for him and even though he was improving she still worried for him.

When Luna worried she slept less than she normally did, because her worries brought her to the thought of death. Even as Noctis got better, she kept worrying he was going to die. The feeling of his thin bony fingers on her skin had made her shiver like she was being touched by a reaper. Except for now, now his touch was cold like it always was, but for the first time in awhile, it was comforting.

Noctis let his hand crawl across her back holding her close and the young woman did not protest. It was like what little strength she had left had vanished in his embrace. Noctis rubbed her back before looking up at his friends. “Can we...”

He did not need to finish his request, Ignis motioned for Gladiolus and Prompto to go into the next room. The royal advisor gave Noctis a spare blanket, which the prince wasted no time wrapping over himself and Luna giving them a little more warmth and privacy. Noctis continued to hold her in silence, free hand rubbing circles on her back in the hopes of easing her tense muscles. The faint sound of the door to the other suite closing was lost on his ears.

The room had fallen silent except for the sound of Luna’s breathing, but after several long minutes, one of them spoke, and her voice sounded choked. “This isn’t right.” Luna said and Noctis stopped rubbing her back for a second confused. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”

Now he understood, and did not say anything at first before resting his head against hers. “You have been. You always are.” He told her, “I...remember something….you told me that you’d always be there for me. You said that that night.”

Luna’s eyes widened. She knew what night Noctis was talking about, but she and Ignis were certain between the seizures, medication, and slave crown, that Noctis had not been cognizant enough to remember anything from that night. “You remember that?”

“A little. I think. It’s weird. I remember voices or flashes. Pictures. I remember being scared and confused. I remember points where Ignis was talking to me but I can’t make out the words. I remember everyone talking, but nothing that was said, just their voices.” He said eyes looking down before looking directly at her. “But I remember you telling me something. That you would always be there for me. Your voice is always clear to me, even when nothing else makes sense. I feel safe when you’re around Luna.” Noctis told her. “I love you, so please let me take care of you for a little while.”

Luna was silent almost unsure what to say, not that it mattered in the end because Noctis closed what space was between them and gave her a kiss. She froze for a second, not expecting the gesture, but feeling Noctis’ lips on her own made it hit hard that the young man was very much alive. Alive. Not dead. Noctis was not going anywhere. So she closed her eyes as she felt his lips on hers, let her hand wrap around his back and enjoyed that brief moment.

When he broke away from her, Luna curled up against him and let her head rest against his chest. “I love you Noct.” She muttered, feeling calm and content for the first time in weeks and let her eyes close. Noctis in contrast kept his open despite his fatigue, waiting for her to fall asleep before closing his as well.

* * *

 “Did I just step into a mirror world or something?”

Noctis blinked a few times at Prompto’s question, looking at him then down at his blankets. He was sitting up, leaning against Ignis for support. The blonde looked between the prince and his fiance who was still lying in bed after a few hours. “Okay seriously, Luna is still asleep while the prince of mid-morning naps is awake?”

“I am?” Noctis asked as he yawned. He might have been sitting up, and his eyes might have been somewhat open, but awake was stretching it. Noctis looked like he could use a few more hours of sleep, or an extra strong cup of coffee. He really missed coffee. Ignis grinned, a little amused by Noctis’ sleepy slurring as he tried to keep his eyes open.

“Getting there.” Ignis said. “We’re going to have dinner in an hour, you need to have some appetite.”

Noctis groaned wanting nothing more than to lie back down as he gave Ignis a disapproving frown. “I know what you’re thinking ‘I can eat later.’ But you really need some consistency in your meal schedule. You can go back to sleep after.” Ignis told the half asleep prince, who replied with a sleepy grunt.

Prompto and Gladiolus covered their mouths, trying to keep from laughing, but Prompto burst out in laughter when Noctis gave him the laziest half-asleep glare he had ever seen. The prince let out a sigh of defeat and let himself lean against Ignis, eyes shutting then opening again when Prompto poked his cheek. “Rise and shine sleeping beauty, Ignis’ orders.”

“Prince’s orders; leave prince alone.” Noctis muttered, somehow managing to form a somewhat coherent sentence in his half asleep state. He then looked at Luna and pointed halfheartedly at her. “Wake her.”

“Already awake.” Luna said cracking one eye open, “Just don’t want to move. This bed is too comfortable.”

“I think Noct’s bed back home is better.” Prompto said. Noctis nodded in agreement. “Thicker blankets, fluffier mattress.”

“Better pillows.” The prince muttered. Prompto talking about beds was making him fall asleep. The blonde in question poked his cheek again. “Stop it. Pick on Luna for once.”

“Maybe you both should get out of bed for a little while.” Gladiolus said. Luna moaned, disagreeing with Gladiolus’ suggestion and really liking how comfortable it was to lie on her stomach while hugging one of the pillows, but did sit herself up after a few minutes. She stretched, and moved some of her blonde hair out of her face. The others noticed her face looked a little brighter, the dark circles under her eyes not as prominent. They would be much easier to cover up than before.

“Did you have a good nap Ms. Lunafreya?” Ignis asked. Noctis frowned, letting his eyes close as he noticed Ignis was returning to using formalities, which meant in a few days his friend would be addressing him as ‘highness’ again instead of by his name. Noctis liked it better when Ignis called him by his name.

“I did. I don’t think I’ve slept that deeply in a long time.” She said, but then a frown formed on her face. “It’s strange though. I didn’t have any dreams. Nothing I should be complaining about considering the types of dreams they are but at the same time, still strange. Did you have any dreams Noct?”

Noctis did not answer and Ignis turned his attention to him to see the young prince's eyes were closed. He gave Noctis a light shake and Noctis groaned as he blinked his eyes open. All his friends were looking at him and he looked back at them, confused. “Luna asked if you had any dreams.” Ignis told him.

Noctis blinked a few times and sat up straighter trying to wake up a little more. Did he have any dreams? When did he not have dreams? He knew Luna was asking about the dreams Etro showed him, but he could not remember having any. His dreams nowadays were mostly covered in water and blood.

Noctis looked around the room, his eyes falling on his sketchbook. Maybe a little drawing would help him wake up a bit. Granted because of how relaxing drawing was it was entirely possible it would end up putting him back to sleep, but he did not feel like moving. His legs felt sore from physical therapy.

He reached over for his sketchbook and Ignis handed it to him. Noctis ran his hand over the cover - he really liked the texture - and opened it. He winced at the memories of his torture, now on paper. They were becoming easier to cope with, and in turn he was sleeping better most days. Nights he screamed in his sleep and woke up disoriented were fewer and his waking hours were easier and more lively. Now if only it was easier to walk.

He flipped through the pages a handful at a time before stopping on an unfinished sketch of Leviathan. He had been working on it for a couple of days, getting more and more used to using his left hand. Ignis had been pleased, wondering if he should eventually get Noctis to practice writing with it, but for the moment the young prince was only interested in drawing. “You’re going to continue working on that?” He asked and Noctis frowned.

“Not sure. Maybe.” Noctis told him. Looking at the unfinished picture of Leviathan just made him think more about his dream. The one’s that had scared him before but now just left him confused. He had not thought much about it except in the morning when it was slow, but he still was not sure why he was dreaming about Leviathan. He had no reason to be, he had never formed a pact with the beast, and while he had contemplated using Leviathan at one point to force Altissia’s hand, he had never summoned the Archaean.

Altissia. Thinking about Leviathan made him think about Altissia and how he still could not remember anything about its destruction. He could not remember anything between being dragged out of his cell at some point and then waking up in Solheim. He did not even know when he was rescued. The only thing he could remember vividly was Idola’s cruel face, everything else was a blur.

Noctis took a pencil when offered to him and began absentmindedly moving over the lines. It was a mindless gesture, one that helped the wheels in his head turn. He glanced up at his friends as he heard them talk about what they wanted for dinner and Ignis telling Prompto that he was not going to have spicy cheddar burgers for the third time in a row. The conversation should have left him smiling, but he felt uneasy watching it. He wasn’t sure why.

At least he wanted to tell himself that, but he knew why he felt uneasy. He felt like his friends were not telling him everything.. He remembered Ignis’ words, how he said the healers did not know what caused Noctis’ injuries, but something at the back of his mind kept telling him that was not true. He wanted to ask about it, but never found a good time to. He felt anxious even thinking about doubting his friends words, but as the days went by he wanted to know the truth more and more.

Once satisfied with everyone’s dinner requests, Ignis got to his feet. “I’ll be helping the cooks prepare dinner, so I’ll be back in an hour.” He said then looked at Noctis. “I have something special planned for you.”

Noctis raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was talking about, but rather than ask just nodded and let Ignis excuse himself. The door closed and after a few seconds Gladiolus spoke.

“Wonder what he’s got in mind.” He said as he looked at the door before turning his attention to Noctis. “Anyway, you up for doing something while we wait?”

“I just got a new game on my phone! You wanna take a look, try playing it?” Prompto asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket and waving it in front of Noctis face. Luna and Gladiolus looked at him.

“You sure it’s okay for you to download that?” Luna asked.

“It shouldn’t be an issue, besides I used a proxy to get this..” Prompto said with a shrug of indifference.

“Well if you’re phone becomes a brick in a few days we’ll know why.” Gladiolus muttered as Prompto handed Noctis his phone. Noctis looked at it, looked at the characters on the screen and sighed shaking his head and giving it back. He might have been speaking better but reading was still giving him problems.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Noctis told him giving his best friend a small smile before looking back at his unfinished image of Leviathan. His smile faded. “I don’t really want to play anything.”

“Do you want to watch something? Or just relax?” Luna asked. “I can read you the next chapter of my book if you want.”

“No thanks.” Was Noctis answer and his friends noticed he sounded lost. His mind was beginning to spin as he looked at it. He needed answers, and now would be the best time to get them. If he did not ask about it now he may never get the chance. “Can I ask something?” He asked looking at them. The question had caught them off guard, not by the question itself but the tone. After a few seconds Luna answered.

“Of course you can. What is it?”

Noctis hesitated for a second wondering how to word his question and decided the best thing to do was to take the direct approach. “I don’t remember anything about Altissia’s attack. I don’t remember being rescued from Niflheim.” He started choosing his words carefully, thinking them through so he did not stutter in his train of thought. “But I keep dreaming about Leviathan. It feels like I was there, but I don’t remember. What happened in Altissia?”

His questions were met with silence and while Gladiolus and Luna looked to be able to keep a straight face he noticed Prompto suddenly looked uncomfortable. That told him a lot more than he thought it would, that their was something that happened that made answering….difficult.

Gladiolus stretched out his neck as he tried to think of an answer. He had expected Noctis to start asking questions eventually, but he had hoped it was not this soon. He hoped by the time he started asking questions, Ignis would be more open to them answering. His friend's concerns about Noctis shutting down were still fresh in his mind.

“Noct, that’s a hard question to answer. You weren’t...well...you weren’t really yourself.” He said. Noctis met his answer with a gaze that told him the young prince did not understand what he meant and he shook his head. “Look this isn’t something you should be thinking about right now.”

“But I need to know what happened.” Noctis said, “I-I keep dreaming about the city. About Leviathan, water, people screaming, and there's blood. Lot's of blood...” His gaze broke for a second as he looked at his sketch and then back to his friends. “P-please, tell me what happened. What happened after y-you saved me?”

He watched their faces and noticed they looked nervous. Something was not right, so he changed his question. “How did you save me?” Again they looked nervous, like they were unsure how to answer, and seeing their faces made no sense to Noctis’ brain. His friends had saved him right? Right?

_“You’re friends aren’t here.”_

Noctis eye’s widened as he looked at Gladiolus and Prompto before turning to his fiancé. “Luna?” He asked taking her hand as though desperate for someone to hold on to and watched her eyes. He saw how they deliberately avoided looking at his, it was a tell tale sign she was hiding something. Why? What were they not telling him? “Luna please…”

“It’s complicated Noct.”

“Complicated?” He repeated looking between them. “But you-you s-s-saved me right?”

The stuttering was becoming worse as Noctis’ body began to shake and Gladiolus put a rough hand on his thin shoulder. “Yes, we saved you. We got you out of Niflheim’s hands and to Solheim where it is safe.”

“But Altissia-”

“Altissia was not safe anymore.” Gladiolus told him kneeling down so his face was level with the young princes. “Noct, this is not something you should be thinking about right now. You should be focusing on getting better. Forget about this for now. Forget about Altissia and focus on yourself.”

“I can’t.” Noctis said shaking his head, voice choking, “I keep dreaming about it, I keep seeing Leviathan’s eyes when I close mine. When nothing else is going on it’s all I can think about.” He told them, “I-I remember a song. A soothing song - it felt warm, but everything else was dark. It’s l-l-like, like something is keeping me from remembering. Like I was asleep, but not really. I s-should know what happened, b-but c-c-can't.”

His words made no sense and in turn they made him sound crazy and Noctis knew it, but he was one hundred percent certain he was not going crazy. He had been through a lot and it gave him physical and mental scars, but he was not far gone to have gone crazy. His friends stayed silent and Noctis found himself yelling at them. “I know you’re hiding something! Tell me! What happened to Altissia?”

“Noct please-”

“Alright, we’ll tell you.” Gladiolus said, cutting Luna off. Prompto’s shook his head quickly his face becoming pale.

“Gladio I don’t think that’s a good idea. Iggy said-.”

“It’s better he hear it from us now, than some would-be Altissian Assassin months down the road.” Gladiolus said and Noctis looked at him confused by the words. Did he do something? The older man took a seat next to him and wrapped an arm around him pulling him into an awkward side hug. “We’ll tell you, but you aren’t going to like what you hear.”

Noctis let those words absorb into his friend as he looked down and saw Luna take his hand. “What do you mean?” He asked.

Prompto fidgeted with his hands, almost like he was nervous about something. Luna also looked nervous but composed herself better as she gave his fingers a light squeeze..

“Noctis, please believe me when I say this; what happened was not your fault.”

Noctis was felt confused by her words, but as he listened to Gladiolus explain what happened, his eyes widened in horror, and he found himself wishing he never asked. His hands started to shake and he shook his head as Gladiolus spoke to him.

“No…” He murmured as his mind seemed to just be pulled in different directions. Leviathan’s eyes, the dreams, the bombs dropping, Leviathan in the city, him in Niflheim. The cries, the song. His dreams, dreams filled with water. Dreams of a destroyed city. Altissia’s destruction. The city covered in the blood and bodies of men and woman.

Blood he spilt. As he heard everything he could hear in his head the sound of his own silver sword piercing some poor soldier’s armor. The screams as Leviathan launched its initial attack on the city. An attack caused against it’s will, because he was the one who overwhelmed Leviathan and took control of it.

He suddenly felt dizzy and sick as his stomach twisted into knots. The thought of those bodies flashing in his mind made him want to throw up. The deaths he caused, and then the news on top of it all. Aurora ordered him to attack his friends.

“No. No no no!” He said shaking his head curling up into a tight ball. He heard one of them tell him something, but the words were lost on his ears as he buried his head in his hands, fingers clenching his hair so tight he threatened to rip it out of his skull. It was not true! What his friends were telling him could not be true.

But it was, and he knew it, and that reality made him scream.


	13. The Truth in the Dreams - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth brings pain, but friends bring comfort during hard times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's March! Which means good things coming (except daylight savings I hate daylight savings). Anyway here's that second part I said I'd upload soon. I hope everyone enjoys.

Ignis had not even gotten halfway down the hall when he heard screaming from Noctis’ room. The scream had him running back and shoving the door open so fast it slammed into the wall. His eyes fell right on the source of the scream, and he saw was Noctis curled up on the bed, letting out the terrifying noise. He was not just screaming, but making a noise that sounded like loud hysterical sobs. The prince’s hands were gripping his hair, so tight he risked pulling it out.  The others were surrounding him, trying to calm him down and Ignis had no idea what was going on, only that something had caused Noctis to snap.

“What’s going on?” He asked. The one one to look at him was Prompto, eyes wide and face so pale it had Ignis moving towards Noctis in a heartbeat. He put a hand to Noctis shoulder and the young prince reacted negatively crying out and pulling away from him. He moved so quick he almost hit Luna in the face with his arm and the young blonde stumbled back almost falling off the bed.

“Move, give him some room.” Ignis said. Prompto did not need to be told twice, but Gladiolus was reluctant and Luna had been stubborn about leaving, moving back to her spot and putting hands to Noctis' shoulder and back.

“Noct, it’s okay. It’s okay.” She told him trying to calm him down. Noctis made small crying noises, his body visibly shaking and him shaking his head muttering incoherently under his breath. “It’s okay. Remember what I just told you. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault…please calm down....”

Ignis looked at her wondering just what happened to cause Noctis to suddenly snap and then it his him like a brick and he turned to Gladiolus, a cold glare on his face. “What did you tell him?” He asked then jumped when Noctis made another noise, a loud gasp as his breathing quickened. He was having a panic attack. Ignis remembered the last time Noctis had such a strong attack, he generalized into a seizure. He needed to calm him down before that happened.

Since words were not helping, Ignis got off the bed and rushed over the bathroom. The medicine cabinet was stocked with all the supplies they needed, from cold medicines to Noctis vitamin supplements. He found a small box of syringes and next to those a small bottle of diazepam. The healers had used it to help Noctis with his panic attacks on difficult days, and while they had not needed it for awhile, Ignis had had a strong feeling Luna was not going to be able calm him down with words. Ignis made sure the medicine was still in date, then opened the box, and filled one of the syringes with the correct amount of medication before returning to the bedroom and motioning for Luna to move.

“What’s that?” She asked.

“Help.” Ignis’ answer was short and simple as he lifted Noctis' shirt sleeve and without hesitating stuck the needle into his arm, releasing the sedative into the young prince’s body. Ignis removed the needle and waited. It took a few seconds, but Noctis began to settle down, his breathing becoming more relaxed, and his crying less hysterical and quieter.

Ignis massaged the area he poked Noctis’ arm, knowing it would feel sore for a little while before moving away so Luna could take over caring for him. The young blond wrapped her arms around Noctis and the young prince collapsed against her. The medication was not strong enough to knock him out, just help him calm down, but Ignis did not like how he looked like the energy had been sucked out of him. The color had faded from his skin, and seeing him slumped over made him look lifeless.

Ignis watched for a few more seconds as Luna kept muttering calming words to her fiancé as she ran her fingers through his hair. He then turned to his attention to Prompto and Gladiolus.

“What did you tell him?” He asked. He looked between them and saw Gladiolus frowning and avoiding eye contact. Prompto looked like a wreck, a horrified expression on his face that made him look like a highschool student that just saw a dead body in the bathroom. Ignis turned his full attention to Gladiolus. “Gladio, what did you tell him?” He asked again, his tone cold and precise. And again his question went unanswered.

At least at first, Noctis made a small noise getting the advisors attention. “I…” He muttered. He was staring at nothing in particular though his eyes were cast downward. “It’s my fault….Altissia’s gone because of me.”

Ignis frowned at Noctis’ statement, what he had suspected had been true. That frown shifted to Luna who glanced up at him before shying away from his gaze concentrating back on Noctis. That explained why she had been repeating that something was ‘not his fault.’ Ignis’ frown became more of a scowl as he got up from the bed and looked at each of them.

“I want all of you to come with me into the other room.” Ignis said and when none of them moved he glared at each of them. “All of you. Now!”

* * *

“I thought I made it clear not to tell Noctis anything!”

Both Gladiolus and Luna winced at Ignis’ shouting. Prompto did not, because the blonde man was absent. Gladiolus had told Ignis that Prompto had not wanted them to say anything and while Ignis did not believe him, the young man looked upset enough that Ignis was sure he did not need a lecture. He felt better knowing that someone was keeping an eye on Noctis as well. Before he closed the door, he saw Prompto had climbed onto the bed next to the young prince and had pulled him into a hug. Noctis had been unresponsive to the gesture. That just made him more angry at the other two.

“Iggy, he was asking questions. He knew we weren’t telling him everything. What were we supposed to do? We couldn’t keep lying to him.” Gladiolus said.

“Perhaps not answer them?” Ignis suggested voice sarcastic as though he were stating the obvious. He shook his head and tried to think straight. “What exactly did you tell him?”

The question hung in the air for a few seconds too long before Gladiolus answered, “Everything.”

“Everything?” Ignis repeated, eyes wide behind his classes as he hoped he had heard wrong. “Including…?”

Gladiolus closed his eyes and nodded his head.

The fist Ignis had formed with his left hand clenched tighter. If he had he not been wearing gloves, his nails would be digging into his palm. That was not the answer he wanted to hear. Everything meant exactly what the word implied. Noctis knew about the slave crown, knew he had attacked Altissia's citizens, and knew that Aurora had ordered him to try and kill his friends.

Ignis had never felt so angry with a friend in his life, but he found himself having trouble holding onto that anger.

“He would have found out eventually.” Gladiolus told him, his calm voice a contrast to the fury in Ignis' eyes, and Gladiolus' statement just made him scowl.

“Yes, well, I was hoping ‘eventually’ would have been after his recovery. Or perhaps after we got Lucis’ crystal back. Or fifty years from now. Not while he’s still vulnerable.” Ignis said, raising his voice so he was shouting. Again Luna winced at the volume. Gladiolus did not however, the bodyguard kept his face stern as he looked at Ignis. Despite wanting to stay made the advisor found himself sighing, knowing he could not stay angry for long. He could be disappointed, but not mad. “I suppose what’s done is done.”

“It’s better he learns this now than later. And better from us than anyone else.” Gladiolus said, “This doesn’t change anything.”

“This changes a lot. Noctis is under enough stress as it is. Between his body healing, the therapy sessions, and the crystal...” Ignis cut himself off as his mind raced. He was worried, worried Noctis would be so overwhelmed by the truth of what happened to Altissia that he would need to speak to a counselor. However, Ignis doubted they would be able to find one willing to talk to the prince about a delicate subject, even if it meant getting paid a lot of money. “He does not need another burden. Especially not one this serious.”

“It’s not just Noct’s burden to bare.” Luna said, “He doesn’t have to shoulder all of this on his own. He has us.”

“She’s right. Everything that’s happened isn’t just Noct’s to deal with, it’s ours as well. We stay by him, we carry him when he can’t move on his own, and we help him the same as we always have.” Gladiolus said, “He needs us now more than ever Iggy, and keeping secrets from him isn’t going to help. He needs to be able to trust us.”

Ignis did not say anything to their statements at first, but after a few seconds nodded. “You’re right.” He finally said. They were right. Noctis needed to be able to trust them. He needed to know that they were being honest with him and not hiding anything. Ignis wanted to protect Noctis, but he could only protect him for so long. The young prince deserved to know the truth, even if it was painful.

Gladiolus did the right thing. He hated to admit that simply because of the subject matter, but telling him was the right thing to do. However even acknowledging that he still worried if Noctis could cope with the information and if he could not it would put his health in decline. He worried about what would happen if Noctis could not cope with what they just told him. How does someone handle learning they were brainwashed to kill thousands of people? He had no idea.

“We should keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t try anything dangerous.” He said. Luna and Gladiolus nodded in agreement, they must have been thinking the same thing as him. With that in mind Ignis decided they should see how Noctis and Prompto were doing and opened the door to the suite. Prompto had stopped hugging Noctis in a death grip, and instead was rubbing the young prince’s back talking to him, trying to get a reaction from him. Noctis’ head was propped on his shoulder, eyes half opened not really looking at anything. He looked calmer, likely in part thanks to the sedative, but also very tired.

Ignis approached first and Prompto looked up. Noctis just continued to stare at whatever he was staring at. “Hey. Good news, he’s calmer.” Prompto said with a forced smile like he was trying to bring some life to the uneasy atmosphere. Ignis nodded and took his spot next to the prince.

“Noctis.” He said and waited to see if Noctis would do anything. When he did not, Ignis spoke again. “Noctis, I’m sorry. I had hoped-”

“Thank you for telling me.”

Ignis stopped talking when Noctis spoke and watched when the prince lifted his head up and looked at him. He noticed right away that the young man’s voice was hollow and the light in his eyes was gone. “It helps. I understand better.”

The room became silent again as  he looked away, down at the bedsheets at first, but then at his friends. He looked at each of them, Prompto first, then Luna, Gladiolus, and finally Ignis. His face was blank as he looked at each of them, but his eyes lit up as though he realized something and his voice sounded nervous when he spoke up. “Did I hurt you?” He asked and it took a second for his friends to realize what he was talking about. When they did Luna shook her head taking a seat on the bed.

“No.” Luna said moving to take his hand. “You didn’t hurt any of us.”

“Honestly we were more worried that we would hurt you.” Gladiolus told him.

“Thankfully that didn't happen.” Ignis said. “It’s possible you would not have survived Altissia if we had to turn our blades on you.”

Altissia. The mention of the city had Noctis’ eyes watering up as despair washed over him.

“All those people…” He muttered, wrapping his arms around his knees and hugging them close to his chest. All the people in the city, all the bodies lying in the streets. People that were dead because of him. “I can’t believe it. I really- I did-”

“Noctis it’s not your fault.” Ignis said and Noctis fell silent, unable to find the energy to say anything. He did not even look up when Luna squeezed his hand.

“Niflheim used you,” Luna told him. “They used you. Used Leviathan. You need to remember that.”

Noctis glanced up at her for a second before looking back down. That was what Luna kept repeating and sure it might have been true but that did not change the fact that he still felt like he had blood on his hands. Niflheim used him as a weapon, used him to get to Leviathan, and it made him sick to his stomach to think he had not been strong enough to fight back. He felt weak. He should have been able to fight back against them. He should have been stronger. What happened to Altissia should never have happened. And yet it did.

“How did you guys stop me?” He asked. Again a silence, but not because they were hesitant to answer.

“Honestly? We don’t know.” Gladiolus told him, “In fact based on what the guys researching that crown said, the only thing that should have stopped you was Aurora’s telling you to stop or your heart giving out.”

“Let’s not think much about that last one.” Ignis said. Noctis sighed and nodded in agreement, he did not want to think much about it either, but a thought did occur to him.

“Maybe it was Leviathan.” Noctis said, “I remember a song, a soothing song that I think woke me up a little. It’s so dark, but then that song…”

Noctis shook his head finding no matter how hard he tried to piece his thoughts together they seemed to not want to stay.

“It’s possible. You collapsed after Leviathan roared.” Ignis said, “She’s one of the most powerful and the wisest Archaean in this world. It’s entirely possible that she took one look at you, who you were with, and realized something was amiss. She was probably trying to reach out to you.”

“She probably hates me…” Noctis muttered.

“I don’t think she could hate you Noctis.” Ignis said, however his words did not seem to comfort the young prince. Noctis stayed still continuing to blink at his blankets before moving and lying back down in bed. “Noct?”

“I want to sleep for a little while.”

“What about dinner?” Prompto asked and the prince shook his head.

“Not hungry. Just want to sleep.”

If it were any other time Ignis would insist Noctis join them for dinner. Right now was not it. Between the information he just learned and the sedative Ignis had given him, Noctis was physically and emotionally exhausted. He just wanted to sleep for a little while, sleep and maybe try and forget what he had just learned, but he knew he would not. Even if he could not remember it, he could picture everything that happened. He could see Aurora ordering him to summon Leviathan and turn its power on Altissia.

The lights of the dead suddenly seemed to bright and he looked out at the window to the ones floating in the night sky. He wondered how many of them were citizens of Altissia, either killed by Niflheim’s forces or his own hands. The thought made his stomach twist, he flinched when Luna’s hand touched his cheek, but did not look up at her to see her face. He just let himself lie under the blankets and closed his eyes, wanting sleep to take him away from the real world for a little while.

But sleep did not want to take him, and when it did he saw the same things he dreamed about before. Altissia’s destroyed streets, the city covered in water and feeling like he was being pulled into an ocean of blood. Only now they were worse, he could see the bodies lining the streets and the bright lights of those peoples souls invading his dreams.

When he woke up, he had been screaming. It took his friends and fiancé more time to calm him down, but after awhile his terrified screams collapsed into sobs as Luna and Prompto held onto him and Ignis and Gladiolus stayed nearby.

* * *

They were going to take turns keeping an eye on Noctis that night. They decided who would take watch at what times after convincing the young man to have a little bit to eat. His surprise - a slice of chocolate cake - was in the refrigerator. He had nibbled on it a bit, but found himself lacking the appetite for anything chocolate or sugary. His friends had been understanding, assuring him he could have his dessert whenever he wanted.

“Even if it goes bad I can have a new one made for you.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine, really.” Ignis told him running his fingers through his hair. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

He saw a brief hint of a smile cross Noctis’ face, but it dropped as soon as it got there and never came close to reaching his eyes. His eyes were dark from fatigue, back to that grey color they had been when he was in poorer condition, and his voice sounded hollow when he spoke. He looked miserable, Ignis was hesitant to think Noctis looked depressed. “Feels like I do.”

“I promise, you don't. Not with us.” He told him, “We’ll help you get through this. We’re here for you, you understand that?”

“Yeah.” The prince muttered letting his eyes close for a few seconds as he felt Ignis’ fingers move through his hair. He liked the gesture, it was relaxing. He recalled that he used to like it more, then remembered Cyrus played with his hair a lot during his experiments. Noctis frowned at the thought of the green eyed man and his hand clenched into a fist. That fist was met by Ignis’ hand, taking it and gently caressing Noctis’ knuckles with his thumb until the young man let go. It was a nice gesture, and Noctis found himself calming down a little. He blinked letting tears stream down his face, slow to realize he was now crying. He had been crying a lot over the past few hours and he was starting to get a headache.

“I’m weak.” The words came out before he could stop them and Ignis shook his head.

“You are not weak. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.” Ignis told him. Noctis was quiet, not sure he believed what Ignis was telling him. He was not sure how he could be seen as strong when he spent a significant portion his life bedridden or in hospitals. Colds and infections he struggled with each year that sometimes led to worse maladies and despite being told he was getting stronger, he always felt like he was not. That he was just getting worse.

Ignis sensed that Noctis appeared unconvinced by his statement and changed the topic altogether, “If you need anything, Gladiolus said he would take first watch, and you can always wake me up. Ms. Lunafreya said she would be spending a little time in the library and she’ll have her phone on her if you need her. I’m sure she’ll be with you in a heartbeat.”

“Always is.” Noctis said, then sighed. “They just seem worse.”

“Your dreams?” He asked and got a nod from Noctis, “Probably because you understand them better.”

“Maybe. But why was I even having them? Why would I dream about something I can’t even remember?”

“Perhaps you were still subconsciously absorbing information?” Ignis suggested. “It’s not as though the slave crown stopped your brain, merely slowed it down, otherwise...well, let’s not think of that.” Ignis suggested before coming to another thought. “It’s either that or Leviathan might be trying to communicate with you.”

“Why?”

Ignis noticed Noctis look right at him, but try as he did to come up with some answer, he found himself coming up empty. “I don’t know.”

“To bad we can’t ask her or something.” Prompto’s voice got the their attention, the blonde walked into the room from the suite. Gladiolus was right behind him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it’s getting late. Uh, sort of.”

Ignis took a look at the clock. It was ten at night, Noctis’ usual bedtime when he was not being dragged out to clubs or needed to attend a formal event back in Lucis. Noctis’ eyes looked heavy, his face had a tiredness to it that reminded Ignis of when the young prince used to much magic. He then got up so Gladiolus could take his place.

“Alright time for bed. You want me lying here with you or on the other bed?” Gladiolus asked and it took a few seconds for Noctis to answer but when he did it was with a shrug of indifference.

“Either is fine.”

Hearing the lack of life in Noctis’ voice, Gladiolus climbed onto the bed and lied down. Noctis lied down as well, curling up to Gladiolus like a small child that had a bad dream seeking comfort from their older brother. In this case brother figure. Ignis decided at that point to excuse himself, but not before giving Noctis one last pat on the head and words assuring him if he needed anything he was right next door.

When the door closed Noctis spoke up. “Ignis and Luna say what happened is not my fault. So why do I feel so awful?”

“Because you’re human.” Gladiolus told him. “What you’re feeling is normal. That probably sounds strange, but it is. You were in a difficult situation, things are complicated, but you can’t keep yourself down.”

“What should I do?”

“Try and keep looking forward. Take one day at a time. And if things get to hard for you, you can come to us.” The older man told him.

“You guys keep saying that.”

“Because you sound like you need to hear it. Now time for you to get some sleep.” He said switching the light off. The light off just made the lights outside seem so much more brighter, but he finally forced himself to close his eyes. He had not even realized how tired he was until he found himself falling into a deep sleep.

_He felt like he was trapped underwater. The site of Leviathan’s eyes on him made him curl up in fear. He felt like he could not breath seeing the beast gaze at him. Even if he could not see it’s face._

_He could feel it’s breath, even avoiding its gaze he felt like it had moved closer to him. He shivered like he was cold, and he felt the water move around him until he no longer felt it on him. His clothes felt damp but he found himself gasping for much needed air and getting it into his lungs. He opened his eyes and looked up struggling to see the face of the beast._

_“Leviathan.” He felt scared and looked down, not just in fear but shame. “I’m sorry.”_

_He did not deserve to be in Leviathan’s presence, not after Altissia, but here he was, dragged underwater in front of the beast in question. It’s soft growling caught his attention as he realized despite his fear Leviathan did not sound angry. He looked up at it, the light in the beast's eyes not seeming so bright. It made another noise, through it’s throat, low and yet at the same time soft. Noctis found himself looking in those eyes. Eyes that he expected to be angry but instead just seemed sad._

_Leviathan was sad. And Noctis knew why; it was mourning. Mourning the loss of its city, and it’s people. “What do you want from me?” He asked and he noticed a change in Leviathan’s eyes. Now the creature looked a little angry, but not at him, and as it roared out Noctis put his hands to his head as he saw images flash through his mind. Altissia’s destruction. Niflheim warships. And the face of an older man, with a wicked smile, a smile Noctis had grown to hate._

He gasped as he woke up, breathing hard as he felt his heart racing in his chest. Another dream, but not as bad as before. Noctis rolled onto his back, and pushed the blankets off. He felt hot and as he put his left hand to his head he realized he was sweating. Noctis sat up and took a look around, first at the clock then at the other bed. Gladiolus was no longer in the room, instead it was Prompto, who had curled himself up on the other bed and was sound asleep. Noctis watched him for a little while before turning his attention back to himself and moving to get out of bed.

His legs were shaky as he expected, but with some support from the bed frame as well as the wall he was able to make his way over the dresser. He frowned as he struggled to get his shirt off and put on a new one, but having something clean (and dry) on after waking up covered in sweat made him feel a bit better. He then opened a lower one to find a clean pair of pajama pants and stopped when he saw Filius’ knife resting in it. Noctis stared at the knife, confused by it’s presence, before grabbing it by the hilt and sheath and lifting it out. He had thought Ignis was keeping it in the other room, so what was it doing here?

He let his eyes move up and down the family heirloom. He still could not remember when it was given to him and he felt his eyes begin to water as he gazed on it. He wondered why Filius would give it him something that meant so much to him. He wondered if his old friend knew what he would do to Altissia. What Niflheim would make him do to Altissia. What did he expect Noctis to do with it? The young prince wished he could ask him, but that was just not possible. At least not anymore.

Noctis continued to stare at the knife, but after a little while he stood back up. However, he did not put the knife back in drawer, instead he brought it back with him to bed letting his fingers run along the decorated sheath. Those fingers reached the hilt and he began to pull the knife out to get a good look at the signature on the blade. Dominus Aldercapt; how far the kingdom of Niflheim had fallen since his rule. How far was Idola going to go to get what he wanted?

Noctis did not get the chance to let his mind wander. the sound of the door opening caught his attention and he turned around to see Luna enter the room. She had a new book in her arms which made Noctis conclude she had come in to take over for Prompto. However she stopped when she saw him, understandably surprised to see he was awake. “Noct? What are you doing up?” She asked, eyes falling closer to the knife he was looking at. “Why do you have that?”

Noctis did not answer at first as he looked away from her for a moment and then looked back. “I can’t sleep. I keep thinking.”

Luna said nothing at first, as she put the book down on a table and sat down next to him. “About what?”

“...I don’t know. I guess, everything.” He said realizing how weak his words were as he said them, but Luna did not point it out or anything. She moved her fingers to his hair pushing it out of his eyes.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” She asked getting his attention and after considering the question nodded. Fresh air sounded like a good idea. He took her hands and let himself be helped up, and wrapped an arm around her for some support. They left the room, Luna quietly closing the door behind them. They made their way down the hall, to the elevator, and once at the right floor, through the palace's lobby.

“It’s very nice out tonight.”  Luna said as the two left the palace’s interior and made their way into the courtyard. They walked slow, Luna keeping her hands around her fiancé's waist to help him when he needed the help. Noctis was being stubborn about his wheelchair or even a pair of crutches, though Luna also noticed he seemed to want the physical contact of someone by his side. They walked down the walkway until they found an open area in the courtyard. “Let’s sit down here.”

Noctis nodded in agreement and with her help sat down on the grass, the young woman taking a spot next to him. “Clear sky.”

“Yeah it’s nice.” Noctis muttered as he looked up at the sky. It was clear and cloudless, the stars  were bright in the sky, but Noctis found himself distracted by the lights of the dead that swirled around him. “I’m not in the mood for stargazing.”

“We don’t have to, we can just stay out here and do nothing.” Luna said her smile fading a little as she studied his face, “And it’s rare for you to be awake at this hour, even rarer that you can’t sleep. Is everything alright?”

Noctis was silent as he gathered up his words and looked at the stars. Or more specifically, the lights of the dead. “I had another dream.”

“With Leviathan?” Luna asked and Noctis nodded.

“She was sad, because of what happened to Altissia. And angry, but not with me. With Idola.” He said, slow as he tried to understand his own words. “She wants revenge. I don’t know how I know that, but somehow I do, and I think she wants me to carry it out.”

Luna nodded slowly as he spoke, thinking about what he said.

“I suppose you would be the best choice. Leviathan is probably more concerned with protecting what’s left of Altissia and you already planned to take revenge on Idola for what happened in Lucis.” She said and Noctis nodded. A small, cold grin formed on her face for a second, “I guess Idola should be proud, it’s not every day an Archaean wants an ordinary human dead.”

He probably should have found Luna’s statement amusing, but he was to distracted by the lights dancing around them to find humor in the dark comment. His eyes were just captivated by them. Luna could see them too, but was just better at ignoring them.

“Noct?”

“How many of them do you think are from Altissia? How many of these souls are people who have not found peace yet?” He asked bringing Luna’s attention from him to the sky. The young woman frowned contemplating her answer as she leaned a bit closer to her fiancé.

“I don’t know. I guess some could be from Altissia, but others could be from Solheim, even Lucis or Neiflheim.” Luna said looking at him. “That’s one thing about Etro’s gifts I’ve always found strange; you can see souls, but they’re just small lights. We can’t tell who they are or where they are from, at least not unless they touch us in our sleep.”

“Right now I’m only seeing Leviathan.” Noctis said looking down at the grass. “I’m scared. I feel weak and helpless, confused. I don’t know what I’m doing right now.”

“Well right at this very moment you’re outside with me.” Luna said, the honest answer getting a brief smile to cross his face. “And you aren’t weak, or helpless. Right now you’re just in a bad position, but in time you’ll get stronger. You’ll get back to training, and your mind will become sharper. And when we get the okay from Solheim’s court, we’ll attack Niflheim and reclaim the Lucis’ crystal. Then we can begin building your country again.” She paused then added. “Altissia too, if they want our help.”

Noctis looked at her almost like he had not expected that statement. “Altissia too?”

“Do you want to help Altissia?” Luna asked and Noctis was silent at first before nodding his head.

“I know you said what happened was not my fault, but I still feel like….I feel responsible. It wouldn’t be right to not help in some way. I mean, their court turned their back on us, but it would be wrong to do the same to them.”

“I agree.” Luna said, “I don’t think your fathers men will like the idea though.”

“Well they can shove their complaints up their asses.”

Noctis’ blunt statement made Luna giggle. “That they can.” She said taking his hand, “I can already tell you’re going to be a great King.”

“When I can keep my eyes open.” Noctis said and though at first his statement was a joke he frowned as he looked down at Luna’s hand, “I’ll be a great King, but only because I’ll have great people by my side. A bodyguard and advisor I can trust, a friend I can turn to for help, and a strong queen who can lead when I can’t.” He paused as he took Luna’s hand. “I’m glad my dad agreed to let me marry you, even if it did hurt our relationship with Altissia. It was hard to see him so upset.”

“Even if he was upset he still respected your decision.”

“He wanted me to be happy. To have something he never did.” Noctis muttered as he looked back at the sky. “I miss him.”

“I know.”

“Do you think he...do you think he...” Noctis tried to put his thoughts into words, but they fell flat on his ears. He did not need to finish the question, Luna knew what he was thinking.

“No. I don’t think he would blame you for Altissia.” Luna said and Noctis knew she was right. If his father was still alive, he would have already gone for Idola, and probably already killed him too. Noctis let out a breath before lying on the grass, Luna joining him continuing to hold his hand, before moving closer to him and Noctis wrapped his arms around her.

He continued to look at the stars. The cloudless sky made them stand out more than normal, and he could make out the constellations. So late at night, the constellations normally over Solheim's skyline had passed over in favor of more foreign stars and sights better found in Tenebrae. Noctis watched those stars, eyes gazing over them in a lazy manner as he continued to hold Luna. His mind continued to move from thought to thought and one filled him with anxiety.

“I’m scared to go back to Niflheim.” He said, a statement that got Luna to look at him. “I know I have to go back for the crystal, but at the same time I’m scared.”

“Do you want to stay here for the invasion?” Luna asked and without hesitation Noctis shook his head.

“No I need to be their. I want to be their. I want to be their when Idola finds out he screwed with the wrong people. I want to be there so I can see the light fade from his eyes as I slit his throat. But, I’m still scared.”

“Well, if it helps we’ll be behind you. I’m sure Ignis is already planning where to begin, all we need is Solheim’s blessing and we’ll have an army for an invasion.” She said looking at him and noticing that he had become a little tense. “It’s almost over.”

“It’s not over yet. It won’t be until he’s dead...I just don’t want this to fail. I don’t want to end up back in that prison.” Noctis said looking at her. “I don’t want them to do anything to you guys.”

“We won’t give them the chance to try to do anything. We’ll go in their, get Lucis’ crystal, take care of Idola, and be out of there before they realize what hit them. And we’ll be right there with you, every step of the way.”

Noctis smiled at Luna’s statement, at how her voice was filled with passion and determination. A strong tone that made him feel like everything she said was right. “Thank you.” He told her. “I’d never get this far without you guys with me.”

“Aww that’s so sweet!” Prompto’s voice almost made Noctis jump out of his skin in surprise and he sat up looking over to see not just his blonde friend, but also Ignis and Gladiolus. “Can I get that one more time? Just to make sure I heard it?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” Noctis asked.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question highness?” Ignis said a smirk on his face as he looked at the two. “Sneaking off with Ms.Lunafreya and not telling anyone? I see some things never change. At least you two aren’t hiding in a closet...”

Noctis’ let his face hide behind his hair as it became bright red. Unfortunately Luna’s hair was to well framed around her face to hide her blush. “W-we weren’t going to do anything!” She said face bright red before shaking the embarrassment off it, “Noct told me he couldn’t sleep so we just went outside to get some fresh air.”

“You could have at least left a note.” Ignis said.

“Yeah Iggy freaked out again.” Prompto said. Ignis sighed and rubbed his temples, he did _not_ freak out as Prompto put it. “But at least you didn’t run off to who knows where. Wouldn’t have wanted to search the castle, then find you doing something I’d regret seeing.”

“Right now I regret you aren’t closer so I can slug you.” Noctis muttered getting a laugh from his best friend who then slid down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Noctis gave him an annoyed frown, but that quickly softened into a small smile. Ignis and Gladiolus joined the other three taking seats on the grass.

“It’s beautiful out tonight. I take it you two were stargazing?” Ignis said, “Unless I’m mistaken at this hour we should be able to see stars that normally hang over Tenebrae’s skies.”

“Yeah.” Noctis said yawning as he did so. The reminder of how late it was somehow made his body realize that he was up much later than he should have been and now it wanted to sleep. However Ignis’ comment also reminded him of something and he looked at Luna. “Wanna see if we can find Fenrir?” He asked and watched as his fiancé eyes widened before giving him a bright smile.

“Yes!”

They did not find Fenrir but did enjoy a nice night of stargazing, including Ignis trying to help and explain how to find certain constellations to Prompto and Luna (with mixed results). Noctis fell asleep while outside, feeling safe and at peace surrounded by his friends. Gladiolus was the first to notice Noctis fall asleep after curling up on the grass, the prince out cold and oblivious to the others laughter.

“Hey we should get him inside.” Gladiolus said getting the others attention. Ignis took one look at the sleeping prince and nodded in agreement. The last thing Noctis needed was a head cold from sleeping outside. So he let Gladiolus pick the young man up and the group went back inside.

Noctis slept peacefully for the rest of the night.


	14. Beach Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so after about 13 Chapters of drama and angst I say we're ending this monster on a light note. So here is TD's last chapter. It's past 3AM. I'm going to bed. Have fun.

“You will?”

The question echoed through the meeting chamber when Luna asked it, unsure she had heard the King of Solheim’s answer. They had been waiting for the court to say something all summer, between meetings and reconfirmations of their goals, Solheim’s royal court had moved slower than they would have liked, but at last they had the answer they were looking for.

“We will. You will have my country's army by your side for your invasion.” The King repeated. Luna’s eyes lit up at the news finding it hard to not jump from joy. Ignis was smiling and turned to a third person, a stubborn dark haired prince who had insisted he join them.

Noctis looked tired. His face was still thin, his custom made suit a little loose on him, and he had gotten a few less than pleasant comments that he looked under the weather, but despite the that he was happy to be at the meeting. Not happy about having to be up at seven in the morning for an eight o'clock meeting - he was positive that Solheim’s meetings were held later, or maybe he was just remembering wrong - but happy with the results of Ignis and Luna’s efforts. The two had been hard at work with their arguments, as well as keeping him up to date with what was going on, and the payoff had finally arrived.

They would be celebrating with drinks tonight if Gladiolus and Prompto had any say, and try as Ignis might to stop him, Noctis planned to have a few drinks.

“Thank you my lord.” The young prince said, but as he and the other two started to stand, the king held up a hand, halting them.

“There’s just one condition.” He said, pausing for a moment to make sure they were listening. “As we have discussed before Solheim’s army is small, unlike that of Niflheim’s. We are happy to assist you, but on our own we would not be able to provide much support.”

Noctis stared in surprise at the man’s statement and looked away almost like he was having some trouble understanding what was being told to him, but after a few slow seconds spoke up. “What are you asking?” He asked.

“We need numbers to break through Niflheim’s walls and to fight their magitek soldier’s. You’ll need more than just my country as your ally.” He said, “We need support from Tenebrae. Secure an alliance with the queen and we will begin making preparations for an invasion.”

The statement had them all silent, a look of disbelief crossing Noctis’ face. He could not believe after all the work Luna and Ignis put in that Solheim’s alliance was a ‘if and when’ scenario. Solheim would help, but only if they found help for them, and Tenebrae was the only option due to Lucis being in shambles. He looked down at the table in front of him, frustration clear on his face that after all this time they still had to do more to take back his country's crystal.

He wanted to throw Solheim’s poor excuse for ‘help’ back in their faces, but a voice spoke up before he had the chance to be stupid.

“Very well. I will travel to Tenebrae and speak to the queen.”

It was Luna. Noctis turned to her surprised and found himself at a loss of words as Solheim’s King addressed her.

“I suppose you would be the best choice Ms. Fleuret. You are Tenebrae’s ambassador.” He said and nodded. “Let my advisors know when you are ready and we will begin making arrangements for your departure.”

“I’ll be ready to leave by-”

“No!”

Noctis found his voice by that point and he was loud enough that it echoed throug hthe room. He got Luna's attention, as well as the King’s, who frowned at the sudden interruption. He then spoke in a more normal volume. “This is absurd, you’re not going to Tenebrae.”

Luna looked at him a little taken back by his outburst. “Noct, what are you doing? I have to. If we don’t-”

“I don’t care. You aren’t going.” Noctis told her and before she could protest looked back at the king. “I'm sorry, but we need some time to talk about this.”

There were whispers in the court and Ignis sighed, rubbing his temples. Noctis was not mature enough to handle this matter eloquently. He understood his friend’s reluctance to let Luna go, but the lack of professionalism was a bit embarrassing. At least he wasn't cursing at them. After the room fell silent the king frowned but gave the young prince a nod.

“Very well. Discuss it and let me know your final decision before the end of the week.”

“Thank you.” Noctis said. Luna frowned at her fiancé in disapproval, but kept quiet knowing starting a squabble in the meeting room was unprofessional. Since they had nothing else to discuss they were excused and left the room. The three walked down the hallway in silence for a few minutes until Luna stopped and turned on her heels.

“What were you thinking?” She asked and Noctis’ eyes widened a bit, not expecting her statement to sound so cold and then matching her frown with one of his own.

“I was thinking ‘No, I’m not letting you go to Tenebrae.’” Noctis said matching her tone. “I saw the news, if Niflheim is at Tenebrae’s borders, there’s no way I’m letting you go there. I almost lost you once, I don’t want to risk losing you again.”

Luna stared at him. She was a little upset at his outburst, but knew he was the attack on Insomnia. She still remembered the painful look on his face after they reunited in Altissia, weeks after the news had broken that she and his father were dead. Between that and what happened after she could not blame him for not wanting her to leave again.

“I understand Noct.” She told him, but while her face was softer her tone was still stern, “But if I don’t go to Tenebrae, we won’t have a strong enough army to attack Niflheim, and take back Lucis’ crystal. I know you’re worried about me, but what about your people?”

“I…” Noctis started to protest then stopped. He almost said he did not care, but he did. He loved Luna, but also his home and people. Thinking of what they could be going through made him feel dizzy and a little sick. He did not want them to suffer any longer, his country needed him and their crystal. Seeing his demeanor change, Ignis put a hand to his shoulder to steady him, though Noctis hardly noticed being so focused on his fiancé. “I still don’t want you go.” He said finally finding his voice. “At least, not by yourself.”

“I won’t be by myself. Gentiana will be there, and I won’t be going alone, Solheim will need to have someone escort me.” Luna told him. Noctis let his eyes wonder. He was not sure about someone he did not know escorting Luna to Tenebrae.

“I think Noctis would prefer if someone he knew went with you.” Ignis said. Noctis nodded confirming Ignis’ statement. “Let’s return to our rooms and tell Prompto and Gladio what is going on.”

Another nod in agreement from Noctis, and a smaller from Luna, who seemed less reluctant to talk about what they would do, and just wanted to tell Solheim’s king that she would be leaving. She wanted to get to Tenebrae as soon as possible. Not only to help Noctis’ country, but also out of concern for her own. Outside of the news they heard about Niflheim soldiers at Tenebrae’s borders she had no idea what was going on at the capital. She had heard from a few friends, but since a few days ago there had been nothing but silence. No one was picking up.

She let those thoughts leave her mind when the group of three returned to their rooms and were greeted by Gladiolus and Prompto.

“Hey, how’d it go?” Gladiolus asked and Ignis sat down and explained everything while Luna and Noctis changed out of their formal wear and into more comfortable clothing. Once they were dressed Luna took her seat on the bed next to Prompto. Noctis did not sit down, instead preferring to just flop onto the other bed. The early morning was too much for him. He wanted to sleep and the continued lack of caffeine was not helping him.

Ignis got himself new pillows. He could tell because the one he was lying his head on was far softer than the ones in his room. Noctis made a mental note to steal them when his advisor was not looking.

“So you think one of us should go?” Gladiolus asked.

“That would be best.” Ignis said looking over at Noctis. “At the very least it will put your mind to ease, right highness?”

“I don’t want anyone leaving.” Noctis said glancing up at them, “But yeah, if Luna has to go I’d rather one of us go with her. It’d be me if I could, but I know you guys won’t let me.”

“You’re right we won’t. You gotta get back into shape before we let you run off again. You can barely handle a light workout.” Gladiolus said. Noctis glared at him.

“You need to rethink your definition of ‘light workout’.” The young prince muttered before going back to hiding his head in the pillow.

“Anyway, is someone willing to volunteer?” Ignis asked as Noctis sighed and imagined he was laying on a giant cloud.

“I’ll go.” Prompto said raising his hand up before putting it down. All of them except Noctis turned their attention to the young blonde.

“You’re sure Prompto?” Ignis asked.

“I’m probably the best choice. Noct’s gonna need you guys here for the military and politics stuff. I’m not good at any of those things.” He said turning to his best friend. “I’ll keep Luna safe, promise.”

Noctis nodded and then Prompto let a grin flash on his face as he thought of something else. Something important. At least important to him. “But if I go, we need to do one thing. That one thing I’ve been saying we would do once Noctis is feeling better. We need to-”

“-go to the beach. We know, you won’t shut up about it.” Gladiolus said.

“Yes, you’ve been very vocal recently.” Luna said giving him a light push.

“Hey!” The blonde man said as the young woman laughed a little. “Seriously, if we’re all splitting up for awhile we should do something together. Have some fun on the sand and surf, make some memories, see the fireworks.”

“See the sandcastles too. Today’s the last week before they knock them down.” Luna said. Gladiolus stared at her, eyebrow raised at her statement.

“What is it with you and sandcastles?”

“Sandcastles are important.” Luna said in a tone so serious Gladiolus was not sure if she was joking or not.

“And the fireworks.” Prompto repeated. “We have to see the fireworks! So please, can we go? Please?” Prompto asked. He had been hoping they would go after Noctis was well enough to go out more often. They did not travel far from the castle, but Prompto and Gladiolus had managed to take Noctis out a few times to nearby places to grab a bite to eat. The prince felt more comfortable going out in public so a beach trip seemed reasonable. He had never missed a trip to the beach during the summer either and was not willing to make an exception this year.

No one said anything at first, and Prompto winced almost afraid they would say no and decide to spend the last day in the castle. Then Noctis stirred from his mostly asleep state and turned his head to look at them. “Sure. Sounds good.”

A brief silence then Ignis smiled in confirmation. “Well I suppose it’s decided. We’ll go.”

“Yes!” Prompto shouted jumping to his feet. He then stopped realizing they were missing something important. "We need swimsuits. We didn’t get swimsuits the last time we went to the mall.”

Luna’s eyes widened a little at Prompto’s realization. “You’re right. It’s not a beach trip without swimwear.”

“We should go before they get rid of what's left!"

“Perhaps it would be better to wait until later.” Ignis said and just as Prompto was about to protest - they were low on time to get decent swimwear - the royal advisor pointed to Noctis. The sleepy prince’s eyes were closed and his breathing had become soft and rhythmic. Sound asleep, which Ignis was not surprised by considering they had to get him out of bed so early. Luna smiled at the sight of her sleeping fiance and got up to wrap in him in a spare blanket. Prompto chuckled and shook his head, a grin on his face as he saw his best friend was out cold.

“Alright, find. We’ll go when he wakes up.” Prompto said. He could wait. Or at the very least he was going to try. He took a seat while Luna covered Noctis with the blanket and let her fingers play with his hair.

* * *

Noctis was starting to have second thoughts about agreeing to go to the beach when he saw how crowded it was. The sight of more people than he liked to be around, combined with the horrible heat made him feel uncomfortable. Solheim's summer appeared to want to go out with a bang, as the day was one of the warmest it had been in weeks. Noctis hated the heat, he also hated crowds, and for some reason he felt more anxious than he normal.

“You okay Noct?” Luna asked making Noctis look from the car window to his fiance. She had a small frown on her face, and hand in his. Prompto and Gladio were looking at him too, they must have noticed he was tense.

“Don’t know.” Noctis said looking back out the window. “Too crowded.”

“Ah yeah, it is huh.” Prompto said, “Lot of last minute fireworks watchers I bet. Guess we won't be the only ones watching.”

“Hopefully we can find a place to park.” Gladiolus said. Luna nodded in agreement, Noctis continued to look out the window people watching. Unlike his friends he had opted against swimwear. There were no black swim-shorts at the mall and while he had grown to tolerate the dark blue clothing he was not wearing anything lighter than that. So a comfortable and loose shirt t-shirt and long shorts was where he drew the line and no one tried to talk him out of it.

Prompto had been disappointed, but seeing the young prince lose all composure and ability to form proper sentences after seeing Luna in a small white bikini that emphasized her hips more than made up not being able to get the prince to wear lime green swim shorts. His poor friend’s eyes kept wandering downward and every time he caught himself his face turned bright red. Prompto grinned at the scene; totally worth not getting Noctis to wear a lime green swimsuit.

After almost a half hour Ignis found a place to park and they stepped out of the car. Noctis held a hand up to his face to shield his eyes from the sun. The smell of sea salt was present in the air and for him a little overpowering. People were walking the boardwalk or the beach, crowds of people out hoping to enjoy the last days of summer. He found himself smiling as he looked at them. Prompto rushed passed him, grabbing the railing of the boardwalk and looking out at the sea.

“It’s beautiful out! Look at the water!” He shouted eyes moving across the sand as he people watched, eyes falling on some women in their bathing suits. “Oh man, this is my chance. Hey Noct,” he ran back over and grabbed his friend's arm. “You gotta help me out. Look!”

“Huh?” Noctis gave his best friend a confused look before noticing the group of girls talking and walking on the beach. He rolled his eyes and with little effort, pulled Prompto’s hand off him. “I don’t think so.” He did not feel like getting in trouble in thanks to Prompto’s antics.

The blonde pouted, but only for a second as Gladiolus slapping him hard on the shoulder made him wince and look up at him. “Come on, I’ll play wingman for you.”

Prompto groaned; Gladiolus was a horrible wingman. The taller more muscular man always ended up getting the girls when he was supposed to. “I think I’ll just see if a volleyball game is going on.”

“Volleyball would be fun.” Ignis said then looked at Noctis, “Do you want to join us?”

“...Think I just want to walk around.” Noctis told him, before taking Luna’s hand. “You wanted to see the sandcastles?” Luna gave him a smile and nod and Noctis looked back at Ignis. “We’re going to look at those.”

“Fireworks are at seven. Be back at the car by then.” Ignis told them. Noctis doubted he and Luna would be separate from his friends for that long, but it was a good reminder of where they needed to be by evening.

The two broke off from the group and went down the sand covered boardwalk to where the sand castles from the sculpture contest were being presented. Gladiolus meanwhile began to shove Prompto towards the beach in the hopes of finding a volleyball game, Ignis right behind them.

It was a relaxing afternoon, far more than Noctis expected after finding the crowd uncomfortable for him. He walked the walkway with Luna hand and hand, taking in the salt air and watching people fly kites are children chase seagulls on the beach. They stopped to look at the sand castles - which he discovered were less castles and more sculptures that just happened to have sandcastles as part of them. One of them seemed to be making an effort to hide the sand castle by placing it as a small object on a dolphin's head.

“I don’t get it, if this is from a sand castle contest why did everyone do something besides a sandcastle?”

“You don’t go to these things often do you.” Luna said. Noctis was silent. She already knew she knew the answer to that question and was just teasing him. Of course he did not look at sand castles often, he avoided the beach as much as he could. He hated beaches. And crowds at beaches. And getting sunburnt. Prompto dragged him to them at least twice each summer and each time he left looking like a sundried tomato.

“The rules said to make a sand castle but don’t restrict what you can do to grab people's attention as long as they know a castle is present. Like that one.” She said pointing to one that was had a Cerberus in the foreground and a castle in the background. Noctis understood what she was talking about after a few seconds, the castle being present qualified the sculpture for the event but the focus was more on the three headed dog.

He had to admit they were nice to look at, and he wrapped his arm around Luna’s waist, getting a bit closer to her as they walked down some steps onto the sand to get a better look. Luna took a few photos of one she especially liked; a palace with a large cliff over it with a wolf howling at the sky. If Noctis had to guess it reminded her of her home in Tenebrae. He gazed at it noticing a ribbon on a stand next to it, one with a large number three written on it. The sculpture had won third place in the contest.

He made a mental note to have Luna send him a copy of those picture, he wanted to sketch it out and see what he could do with it. Maybe make her something she could frame.

He continued to let his eyes wander from sand sculptor to sand sculptor only to freeze when he saw one that made his smile drop off his face. It was of a palace that resembled Altissia with the spitting image of Leviathan hovering around it. His chest felt tight, his grip on the walk railing becoming tight as he felt for a second he could not breath.

“Noct? What’s wrong?” Luna asked looking at him when she noticed he became tense and pale. She then turned to where he had been looking. “Oh…”

“Yeah…” Noctis muttered keeping his head down. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and looked back up at it. Someone must have set it up to honor the people who lost their lives in Niflheim’s attack. It was a nice gesture, a kind one, he should see it as such rather than a painful reminded of what Idola forced him to do. “I’ll be okay. It just hurts to think about.”

“Do you want to go find Prompto and the others?” She asked and waited for Noctis to answer. The young prince’s head found itself resting against hers, his nose picking up the scent of her hair.

“Not right now. Later.” He said. He wanted to look at the sculptors a little longer so he pushed a smile onto his face and placed a kiss on her head. “I want to look around more.”

They stayed and continued to look at the sand castles, taking in all the designs, Luna taking pictures of each of the sculptures with her phone. The two then watched in fascination as they overheard some people arguing over whether the first place sculpture was worth of it’s prize. To say the argument had gotten heated was an understatement and he and Luna decided to take their leave when the argument became physical. Leaving the boardwalk quickly, the two stopped into some shops to look at some of the trinkets on sale. Noctis found himself people-watching, looking at people purchase overpriced keychains or window shop and check their phones to see if they could find the same item at a cheaper price at another store.

After a little while of looking at items and watching the sidewalks, the two decided to go back and meet with the others again. Noctis and Luna found them hanging out near a small beach stage that looked like it was not properly maintained. Amateur musicians were performing, and Prompto was talking to some girls. Noctis and Luna arrived in time for Prompto to be slapped by one of the girls. The young blonde slouched in defeat and took a seat next to Gladiolus who said something to the poor blonde. Noctis did not quite hear him, but he saw Ignis shake his head before looking up and noticing him and Luna.

“Ah, wonderful timing you two.” Ignis said.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m getting us some coffee and ice cream. You guys want anything?” Gladiolus said. Noctis eyes lit up then briefly became dim when he remembered he _still_ could not have any caffeine. He could have ice cream though.

“Ice cream sounds good. Chocolate. Bowl.”

“Cone for me. Strawberry.” Luna told him. Gladiolus took Prompto’s order for a cone that could be described as ‘chocolate on chocolate dipped in chocolate’ and Ignis decided he would avoid junk food and just get some coffee. Noctis and Luna took their seats.

“I miss coffee.” The dark haired prince mumbled.

“If you want coffee so badly it should be fine for you to have decaf.” Ignis suggested. Noctis snorted.

“Decaf ruins the entire point of coffee.” He said and Ignis smirked, nodding in agreement.

Gladiolus was back with their ice cream and Ignis’ coffee after a few minutes and the five enjoyed themselves, talking amongst one another as they listened to the music being played. Noctis was the most quiet of them, preferring to listen as Ignis mentioned future plans, and Prompto asked Luna questions about Tenebrae. They would be leaving at the end of the week to speak to the queen and Noctis still found himself concerned for their safety. They would be fine though, he had to keep telling himself that.

He finished his ice cream and tossed the bowl in the trash as he continued to listen to the music. The minutes went by and his eyes began to feel heavy. He should not have been surprised, lack of coffee had him sleeping a bit more, and it was close to when he normally took an afternoon nap. So he let his head rest against Ignis’ shoulder, who glanced at him and made no objections, and let his eyes close. He heard chuckling from his friends who were as always amused to see him falling asleep in public. He did not care. It was normal for him.

Today felt like a normal everyday outing. He liked it.

Next thing he knew he was being shaken awake and he cracked an eye open to see that it was getting darker. He was sitting in his usual spot in the car. “Noct wake up!”

Noctis registered that time he was shaken as being by Prompto, who shook him harder than normal, an excitement in his friend’s voice that Noctis found himself groaning to. He forced himself to look up. “There we go. It’s starting. Get up, we’re sitting on the hood.”

“We really shouldn’t be.” Ignis said getting a shrug from the blonde.

“Better view.” He said without a care in the world before turning his attention back to Noctis. “Come on!”

Noctis shook his head hoping to wake himself up a little more and got out of the car. He took his spot next to Luna holding her hand, and then Prompto sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his neck. “Any second now!”

Noctis winced as Prompto yelled in his ear, but did not say anything to him. His eyes were caught but a sudden light and the eruption of fireworks in the air. The sky exploded with color, reds and golds, followed by greens and soft blues. Then more gold. Noctis found himself staring at the sight. He never saw a fireworks show with so much light and color. “Beautiful.”

“Sure is.” He heard Gladiolus say. Noctis unconsciously nodded in agreement, despite him being the one to speak and looked at his friends. He saw Ignis and Gladiolus watching with smiles on their faces and then looked at Prompto who looked like a small child seeing the greatest thing ever. He then looked at Luna, still holding her hand, seeing the smile on her face as she watched the fireworks.

Noctis turned his attention back to the sky, comforted knowing that despite everything that happened and would happen, his loved ones would stay by his side and always be there for him.


End file.
